ARK: Book 2 The Center
by SpinoSlayer711
Summary: The second installment of the ARK Saga, book 2 chronicles the journey of James and his friends, as they travel to the mysterious island known as The Center. Guided by letters from a Roman warlord named Nerva, they begin to discover they are part of a bigger story, as the ARK begins to relinquish its darkest secrets...
1. Chapter 1: Chief of Ark

Thanks for reading book two of the Ark saga! This installment follows Ark lore more closely than my first book. Helena Walker, Li Mei-Yin, and Nerva are all featured characters. This book tells the story of The Island from the Explorer Notes, except in my storyline, it takes place in The Center island chain. All characters from the first book are included. My writing skills for this book have also greatly improved from the first volume as well. The following book will chronicle the story of Scorched Earth. This book is also still a work in progress and I've been quite busy so chapters probably wont be uploaded super frequently, though I will do my best to complete this book. Thanks, and enjoy Survivor…

Chapter One

Chief of Ark

The Raptor flew through the undergrowth like a reptilian phantom. Swerving through the trees with incredible agility, James kept his hands firmly on the bridle.

"Come on Alan!" he said, spurring his mount on.

Speeding up, Alan barked and hissed. James spotted another Raptor next to him, also with a rider on its back,

"Nearly there!" The other rider raised his hand and they continued.

The other rider was James' good friend Shadow. His Raptor was named Ronen. Suddenly the spines on James' Raptor's neck bristled. They were very close. Swiftly they chased after their prey, though James couldn't see anything through the thick wood. The lush green jungle sped by like a leafy blur, and James wondered just how far from their target they were. In a flash the forest disappeared and they broke into a wide clearing.

"There it is!" James shouted.

In the blink of an eye they saw their target again. It was a huge, reptilian dinosaur called Iguanodon. At thirty feet long, the Iguanodon was a hulking beast, with a thumb spike to defend itself. It was fortunately herbivorous. It was no match for the speed of the Raptors in open ground though, and quickly James and Shadow overtook it. James' Raptor Alan stopped in front, and Shadow's Raptor, Ronen kept behind it. The two Raptors hissed and barked, keeping the Iguanodon pinned down. The Iguanodon bellowed and got up on two legs.

"Whoa, back boy!" James held the reigns back and Alan backed up.

The Iguanodon smashed down back on four legs. Reaching behind him, James pulled out his tranquilizer rifle and aimed at the Iguanodon's shoulder. With a ping, he fired, and the dart hit the Iguanodon right on target. The herbivore reared up on two legs, let out a long bellow, and hit the ground, unconscious. James smiled, shook his head, and he and Shadow dismounted their Raptors.

"That's some potent stuff." James said walking up to the Iguanodon.

"Well it'd better be with some of our animals," Shadow replied.

With a chuckle James took a large loop of rope off his belt and tied it around the Iguanodon's legs and snout.

"He'll be out for a few hours so we have plenty of time." Shadow said, "When is Shira supposed to get here?"

James shrugged, "Well she can't get through the forest with her Apatosaur…She should be here soon."

Shadow nodded. The Iguanodon heaved its chest as it breathed peacefully. It was bright green with darker green stripes. James sighed. It had been three years since the Battle for Ark, and there hadn't been any other threats. The only other tribe nearby were the Rockarts, and they kept to themselves deeper in the forest.

James took off his cloth bandanna and combed his fingers through his short, wavy brown hair. Though his face and hands were hardened by the elements and work, he was still young and strong. He was the well-respected chief of Ark Village, the largest village in the area. Shadow and Rhino were both joint chiefs of the nearby village at Lake Lore. Things had gone nearly unchanged during these three years, but they were all happy.

A few minutes later and Shira came riding a huge Apatosaurus with a large cart in tow. It took a while for the huge Sauropod to reach the Iguanodon but when it did Shira lowered the ladder down to the ground, and climbed slowly down to the grass below. She walked up, smiling. Shira was James' wife, and she was young, beautiful, and eternally happy. With flowing black hair, she was originally from the country of Israel before crashing in the wilds of the Ark along with James and several other survivors. She was wearing some light armor plating but it didn't restrict movement in case she needed to run away from a dangerous dinosaur.

"I can't believe I found you guys!" Shira said walking up.

"Sorry Shira I would've rather avoided the forest," James said apologetically.

Alan barked as Shira approached, and she smiled and put her hand on the Raptor's muzzle. Shira turned her attention to the Iguanodon. "Nice, now that you guys have it we just need to get it on the cart."

It took an hour of work, but they were able to load the Iguanodon onto the cart. Shira mounted the Apatosaurus and James and Shadow got on their Raptors, and they started for the village at Lake Lore. The sun was beginning to lower over the rugged outline of the distant mountains. It was a peaceful existence here. They had tamed dozens of species of dinosaurs and other animals that were thought to be extinct. James and Shadow had chronicled myriads of the islands locales, species, environments, and ecosystems, from years of close research.

Alan shook his head and growled contentedly as they continued on the trail.

Shadow came up beside James, "You still need to look into the sanctuary we've made."

James nodded, "Yes. Rhino told me about it last week. What have you been able to do?"

"Well we added larger holding pens, tried mingling species together, added separate training and taming pens, and we're just beginning to build the hatchery. Too many dinosaurs just lay their eggs on the ground and they get trampled by the other species. Once the hatchery is built we'll be able to help the aging process much better."

James nodded, "How many species have you been able to add so far?"

"Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Pachyrhinosaurus, Iguanodon, and Pegomastax."

James nodded. Pachyrhinosaurus and Pegomastax were new discoveries on the island. Pachyrhinosaurus was a medium sized herbivorous Ceratopsian. It was similar to the Triceratops, though it had a thick pad of bone on its nose instead of three horns. It possessed a strange ability to release a pheromone into the air that made creatures around it act more aggressive, or more passive, depending on what the rider or the creature wanted.

Pegomastax was a bizarre looking Ornithopod dinosaur with a thick spiny covering all over its body, and hideous looking sharp teeth. It didn't do much except run around and gorge on as much food as it could possibly eat. It was more a fertilizer and pollinator for the sanctuaries land.

The village at Lake Lore wasn't as built up as Ark Village, and it only had about half the population, but the vista of the huge lake out front made it a memorable sight. The tropical plants and warm breeze made it all the more beautiful. The main street was filled with modest homes and shops selling various goods, from dinosaur saddles to earthenware and even some more complicated inventions like racing and scuba gear. There were dinosaurs in pens near every house, and many dinosaurs being ridden throughout the streets. It was a sight to behold.

Many of the people waved as Shadow, James and Shira approached. Due to the huge size of the Apatosaurus, Shira had to make a detour to the holding pen. Shadow and James continued to get Rhino's help with releasing the Iguanodon. Rhino was tall, extremely strong, and he had a humorous side that occasionally showed itself. Though his appearance was intimidating, he had a heart of gold, and a strange accent that was found only among the Rockart tribe.

James spurred Alan on towards the holding pens. Once he was there, he saw Shira opening the gate that led into the sanctuary. The cart was already backed into the entrance, and some of the dinosaurs inside the holding pen were backing away from the Apatosaur, giving it a respectful distance. The Iguanodon, still completely sedated, was carefully lowered off the cart with the winch attached to the Apatosaur's platform saddle. Rhino approached on his Raptor, Batya.

"I see you were successful on your trip!" Rhino called.

James smiled and walked over to Rhino, who dismounted and shook James hand with a broad smile.

"How are you doing James?" Rhino asked, "Thank you so much for helping with the sanctuary here. Is this Iguanodon all you were able to capture?"

James nodded, "Well we spotted a few other Utahraptors and a Kaprosuchus but I assume you don't want those in your sanctuary?"

Rhino laughed and shook his head. Shira was almost done lowering the Iguanodon.

"Almost there!" she yelled down.

Rhino looked up,

"How's she doing?" he asked.

"Good, very good." James replied, "She and I have had a lot to do lately. Not too much exploring needs to be done near the villages anymore. It's just getting those big exploration parties fort the island outskirts that we still need to do."

Rhino nodded, "Yes, I've been meaning to do that for a while now…It's been a long time since we've gone exploring."

They watched as the Iguanodon was lowered, and the three men unhooked the winch and motioned for Shira to leave the gate. Once the Apatosaurus lumbered a safe way off, Shadow and Rhino closed the massive gate and lowered the deadbolt. The dinosaurs in the pen were a mix of herbivores but they normally lived together in the wild so they had no problems with aggression in the sanctuary, plus the holding pen itself was a huge multi-acre area that was mostly grassland though it had some forest and shelters in one corner of the area that took up about a quarter of the total space. Half of the dinosaurs in the pen were tamed and willing to be ridden and the other half were either wild or in the process of being tamed. The Iguanodon James and Shadow had just captured was completely wild.

After taking the Apatosaurus back to its huge holding pen adjacent to the sanctuary area, Shira caught up to Shadow, James and Rhino, who were watching over the unconscious Iguanodon, making sure no rogue dinosaurs harmed or interfered with it. The fence was thick and made of spiked wood and metal. They each put their arms on the viewing area in the fence and looked in at the dinosaurs all peacefully grazing.

"How many Iguanodon's are in the pen now?" Shira asked.

"Five," Shadow replied, "We're hoping to have at least eight by the time we're finished. Four males and four females."

Shira nodded, "Well you can add that one to the list. I'm willing to donate some of my dinosaurs. Or I could try and go for some wild ones. Pegomastax are pretty simple to tame in the wild."

Shadow nodded, "Thanks Shira. You don't need to donate any dinosaurs but I'd be more than happy if you could help out with some of the wild dinosaurs."

James nodded, "Are you going to try to contain carnivores?"

Shadow looked slightly apprehensive, "Maybe. It'd just be so much work, and so expensive. We'd have to build separate pens for each carnivore. The only one that likes to be in a group are the Utahraptors, and I'm sure how I feel about trying to contain a wild Tyrannosaurus or Spinosaurus."

James agreed, "No, you're probably right. I think you have a pretty good thing going here though!"

"Once we tame the dinosaurs we plan on selling them. People could bring their own wild or tamed dinosaurs here to be trained or tamed."

Two Triceratops in the pen bellowed and looked as if they were about to square off for a fight, but the smaller Triceratops backed down before one commenced. Each species seemed to be in their own separate group.

"This is beautiful," Shira said.

Rhino chuckled, "Well I appreciate your hard work, you two. It's better than I expected."

There was a brief pause as the four admired the dinosaurs grazing, their own natural beauty a sight to behold.

James and Shira both started their return journey to Ark Village. Shira had brought her Carnotaurus named Shullershy, and James was still on Alan. They walked on talking about the work on the dinosaur taming sanctuary. The birds and Pterosaurs called in the forest next to them. They were on a well-travelled path that led from Ark Village to Lake Lore. Villagers normally didn't take the path unless traveling between the villages, and James and Shira were able to enjoy the bright sunlight. The weather had been warm and nearly cloudless, though slightly cooler than normal. James kept one hand on the reigns, Alan knew the way home.

"Will you be coming to the Rockart tribe meeting?" James asked Shira.

Shira nodded, "I'd like to. When is it being held?"

"Three days from now," James replied. "I'd like to try to get another expedition out tomorrow. Just the two of us."

Shira smiled, "I'd like that. It's been too long. We've both worked so hard on the sanctuary."

There was a brief pause and James sighed, "Is there anything you've missed?" he asked.

Shira raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"About our lives before this. I haven't given it much thought but we've been at peace for nearly three years now and it's just been us, the wilds…Our crazy world of dinosaurs…I've just caught myself thinking about it more and more. What happened with ESC after we crashed. My family, your family."

"They're gone James," Shira replied, "I've had to come to terms with that. I didn't really have any family back home anyway, but this is my home now. Your home too."

James nodded, "And I'm grateful for that. Grateful for you."

Shira smiled and looked ahead of her.

"It's just that as the years go by I realize something is different about this place," James continued, "It doesn't feel like…Like it can Earth. Somebody would've found this place by now, or it would've been discovered. Satellites have taken photos of the entire planet and this place has just gone unnoticed since then? It's not like it's a tiny island it's a huge place. It has a frozen north! It has to at least be the size of Australia and we've not even documented and mapped the entire island."

Shira looked thoughtful. Sullershy shook her horned head.

"I've had my doubts as well," Shira said, "But I guess its just easier for me to accept this as the life I'll be living until the end."

James sighed, "I have too, you know. I just wish I knew more about this place. It's history, how many survivors have been stranded here. We haven't found any accounts or other people aside from the Rockarts and a few other small tribes. You'd think a place like this would have some sort of written history to it but there isn't."

There was another pause. James shook his head, "I'm not unhappy," he said, "I love you and I love this place."

Shira smiled, "Well let's go on an expedition tomorrow then, Chief of Ark."

James shook his head, "Come on Shira, you know I never wanted to be called that…Chief of Ark. Makes me sound like some kind of lost tribal warrior in the jungle…"

Shira chuckled, "Well that is what you are James. A tribal leader in a jungle that has won wars, and who doesn't really know where he is."

James smiled. "I know where I am, and it's right where I'm supposed to be."

They didn't say anything else, just contentedly continued towards Ark Village.

James and Shira's house was a wonderous place. Trophies, dinosaur pens throughout, a full working dodo egg farm at the top of the hill, vast open fields of crops, and dozens of small tamed dinosaurs running to and fro.

James put Alan back in the stables when he heard a loud grunt. It was Phil, his Gigantopithecus, which was a huge, nine foot tall gorilla-like ape that stood on two legs. While he looked imposing, as long as you were on his good side Phil was one of the friendliest and smartest creatures in Ark Village. There was Bumper the Parasaurolophus, Cannonball the Doedicurus, and many other creatures that had been tamed in James' many adventures throughout the Ark. There were many other dangerous animals inside the stable, James' Tyrannosaurus rex, Tyros, and his Spinosaurus, Morten. He walked up to Phil.

"How you doing buddy?" James held up his hand and Phil high-fived him. James threw up a cluster of Mejoberries as a reward. Shira entered the stabled and put Shullershy back in her pen.

"How about we take a look at the maps in the village hall?" Shira asked. James nodded, "Well we may as well find out where to go tomorrow," he replied.

The village hall was the grand centerpiece of Ark Village. The ceiling was tall and filled with relics, dinosaur trophies, artifacts and towering shelves filled with manuscripts, local tribe accounts, dossiers of the many creatures found in the Ark, tribal family accounts, and stories from the many people of Ark Village. However, none of the history went back further than fifty years, and James was wondering why they only had accounts of the modern age of the Ark, and not far back as one would expect on an island like this.

James walked across the symmetrical floor tiles and looked over the shelf, before taking out a map he, Shadow and Rhino had created of the area surrounding Ark Village. He laid it on one of the many tables inside the room and beckoned for Shira to come and look. Shira took off her leather gloves and leaned over to get a look at the map. James looked around. There was Mt. Orncreft, the Southeast Slough, and many other locales, even the ruined village of the Dino Raiders, which had been looted and abandoned long ago. There was the battlefield near Ark Village, where Apollo had been defeated three years ago. The mountains, the village at Lake Lore, it was all there, spread out beautifully. But where to go?

"We've gone through mostly all of the area near Ark Village," James said.

Shira nodded, "Is there anywhere we're not thinking of?"

James looked around. It wasn't worth exploring an area they went to frequently.

"I don't think I feel like going up North though either," Shira said with a smile.

James chuckled, "No, neither do I…"

He studied the map. The Slough was too dangerous, Mt. Orncreft was already thoroughly documented, and the area around Lake Lore was mainly under human control.

Suddenly Shira looked at James, "Emerald Fields." she said.

James looked at Shira and let out a sigh. Shira had been captured and beaten by Hijikata, a ruthless Dino Raider soldier near the Emerald Fields, and since then James had never returned there. Most of the emeralds that had been in the field had already been taken.

"Are you sure you want to go back there?" James asked.

Shira gave James a look, "The Dino Raiders are gone James, what are you afraid of?"

James sighed, "Nothing I guess. Why do you want to go there?"

Shira shrugged, "Well, what did Hijikata keep in that cave? I mean nobody knows about it, its abandoned. He may have had some good gear in there."

James thought it over. There was nothing to be afraid of and Shira had a point. Nobody knew about it, and Hijikata may have had some interesting items inside that were worth uncovering.

James sighed, "Alright then. I'll make the preparations and we can go there tomorrow."

The morning sunlight poured inside the window. James groaned as he slowly woke up. After sufficient time he sat up, raked his fingers through his hair and looked next to him. Shira wasn't there. He sighed. Shira was always more of a morning riser than James, and while James had taught himself to awake earlier, he still found it hard to shake himself up in the morning as easily as Shira. James got off the bed and looked out the window. Shira was standing near the stable, loading her Pteranodon with supplies for the expedition. They weren't taking much, since the fields weren't very far off. Pteranodons couldn't carry much weight, but most of it were supplies for torches, small food rations and rope. The caverns could take many paths, though James knew all too well where Hijikata had been holed up before.

James put on his leather and cloth clothing and flying gear. He opened the door, walked across the green yard, smelling the salty bay air in front of him. The saddle clips and equipment were in the stables.

James met up with his wife, who gave him a warm smile, "Look who decided to show up!"

James shook his head, "Look Shira, I'm just not too fond of the Emerald Fields as you know…"

James took out Jetstream, his green Pteranodon, and put the saddle on. He piled on his supplies, hooked up the straps, and mounted. They walked the Pterosaurs out of the stable and looked forward.

"You ready?" Shira asked.

"I hope this isn't a fool's errand…" James replied in a cynical tone of voice.

The two Pteranodons took several steps forward, flapping their huge leathery wings before they took off with a screech. The land below them shrank as they swept into the air. The wind blew Shira's black hair behind her like a flag, and James held the reigns tight as he surveyed the area. Emerald Fields was only a short flight.

"What are you hoping to find down there!?" James yelled across to Shira.

"I don't know! It just seemed like Hijikata had been holed down there for quite a while! He must've had some kind of supply cache down there! There may be useful tools!"

James nodded. They were going to find out one way or another.

"There it is!" James yelled pointing down.

He and Shira wheeled their Pteranodons down towards the ground, and they glided down gracefully before flapping their wings to slow down and hitting the floor. James dismounted and picked up his pack. He tied a long rope from Jetstream's bridle to a nearby tree. it was long enough for the Pterosaur to seek shelter in the trees in case a carnivorous dinosaur were to show up. Shira took her pack, and together they looked into the mouth of the cave. It gaped like an angry maw, filled with terrible memories James would've rather kept buried. Shira looked slightly apprehensive, but sighed, smiled at James, and walked inside. James stayed close behind her.

They lit their torches and tied a rope towards the front of the entrance to keep track of their way. The fire from the torches flickered as they looked inside. The cave was fairly linear, and didn't branch off in too many directions. It was clear why Hijikata had made it a hideout of his. They continued looking in each direction. There was the room James had found Shira. He winced but continued onwards. While many of Ark's caves had life in it, this particular cave had nothing but a few normal sized bats. Fortunately not the giant Onychonycteris, which were as terrifying as they were dangerous, with a bite that was highly infectious.

"See anything yet?" Shira asked.

James shook his head, "No, its still a bit further down the passageway."

The water from the cave walls dripped hauntingly, resonating through the hollow, stony catacombs. They walked on for a few more moments when they came to a larger chamber.

"This is it," James said gravely.

They looked around.

"There's still some supplies here," Shira said.

There were several wooden crates and random supplies littered around the cave room. Most of it had already been consumed or rotted away, but many of the crates were still closed. James put his pack on the ground and surveyed the loot. There was slightly more than he expected, though many of the random supplies on the ground were either unneeded or useless.

"There's more here than I thought," Shira said.

James took a small prybar out of his knapsack and took one of the smaller crates. Opening it, he saw it was the rotten remnants of food. He put the lid back on. Shira broke into one of the crates.

"James, there's some supplies in here."

James looked into the box and saw a spyglass, a compass, and a metal hatchet.

He shrugged, "Nothing too valuable but we could always use items like these."

James broke open another box. Looking inside there was a small black pedestal that had nothing on it. Not sure what to make of it he put it aside. There were three swords inside the crate but they were each rusted and unusable. There were also a few handheld grenades which James decided to leave in the crate. After being exposed to the dampness of the cave for three years he doubted if they were even still live, and if they were they were probably too unstable to safely keep. There was a folded piece of paper on the side of the crate and James looked at it. It was a war map that located all the villages and outposts of the Ark Village. James clenched his teeth. He tore the map up and put it back in the crate.

"There's nothing but narcotics in here," Shira said.

James shrugged, "We may as well keep it. Shadow has stronger formulas but there's always a use for them."

Shira searched around and pulled out a small flare gun.

"Might as well keep that too." James said.

They put the supplies in their packs. James took another larger crate and took the top off. There was nothing but hide clothes and a few small dinosaur saddles. Most of them were in a state of decay and not worth keeping. The only thing they kept was a crossbow that only needed some minor repairs. There were only two crates left. James took one and Shira took the other. James took his prybar and tore the dusty wooden lid off the crate. It was completely empty. James sighed. Suddenly he heard Shira,

"James. Look at this…"

James walked over. Shira was holding something in her hand. It was a strange looking leather bound book. James knelt down and looked. There was a strange insignia on the book James didn't recognize. it was mainly intact and it was quite legible. The letters were written in Latin. Fortunately, Shira was fluent in Latin from her many studies back at home. Shira looked it over. There were no pictures in the book.

"What is this?" Shira asked.

James looked at it, "What does it say? It looks like Latin…"

Shira looked over the Latin letters and began reading it.

 _"It is the chaos of this island that truly disturbs me. These ferocious beasts the natives have tamed never truly lose their natural instinct but man? Man is to be above the animal but these petty tribes squabble among themselves like packs of wild dogs fighting over scraps. I've managed to band a few of them together under my leadership, but they are uncoordinated. I'll have to fix that. I am reminded of my first command in Dacia. The men there questioned the orders of a Centurion so young. It took time for them to respect me, but I could not have even one of them questioning me in a battle. The men and women here in this island are the same. They shall not become an organized band overnight, but I am more patient and experienced in this day than I was in Dacia. we may be far from Rome but one thing is sure. This island will know Rome's might. I will form my New Legion, and together we shall conquer this ARK, just as I led the armies of Caesar to victory against the barbarians. Many of the natives call this land The Center, and I have resolved to start my New Legion here. Signed, Gaius Marcellus Nerva. Victory through Discipline."_

Shira looked at James, who was just as shocked as she was.

"He was a Roman Centurion," Shira said, "And what did he mean by The Center? How did he become stranded here?"

"And he called this place an Ark as well," James said, "I called it that because the place reminded me of Noah's Ark."

Shira held up the manuscript, "What's more, he capitalized all the letters of the word Ark."

This was a shock to James. He had always wondered if there were other people throughout history that had become stranded in the island, and here was confirmation that there were indeed people that had become stranded here, though James wondered how.

"Is there anything else in the crate," James asked.

Shira looked and took out several more manuscripts and maps. She laid it in front of James, whose mouth was open, stunned.

"There's an entire written record here." Shira said, "This man, Nerva, must've kept a written account of all his adventures on the island."

Suddenly James noticed how new that the manuscripts looked.

"Look at these scrolls," he said, "They don't look ancient. This man is supposed to be a Roman Centurion but these scrolls look like they were written fairly recently."

Shira shook her head, "How is that possible the Romans lived thousands of years ago."

"Thousands of years ago on earth." James said emphatically, "I think the time has come for us to face it Shira. This isn't Earth. This has to be another world."

Shira didn't reply. They both had their doubts for years, but they now began to accept the possibility that they were no longer on earth.

He looked at Shira, "Gather the manuscripts and supplies, we need to inform Rhino and Shadow."

Looking thoughtful, Rhino put the first scroll down. "This man was a Roman Centurion?" he asked.

James nodded, "Didn't they live thousands of years ago?" he asked.

James shook his head, "Normally yes but it doesn't make sense. These scrolls are new. They can't be more than twenty years old."

"What does he mean by The Center?" Shadow asked, "I've never heard of any place called The Center…"

James shook his head. "There is this map," he said holding a map up.

They looked it over. It was an odd looking place with many small islands and archipelagos on the East side, and a larger, target shaped landmass in the West side. In the middle of the larger landmass was a ring shaped body of water with an island inside. The island was labeled The Center on the map, as it was the center of the landmass. There were many dangerous sounding islands like Isle of Skulls, Half Burnt Island, Lava Island, Jungles Mid, North, and South, and Redwood Wastes. However, there were odd dots on the island in several places. Green Obelisk, Red Obelisk, and Blue Obelisk. James wasn't sure what to make of them.

"Where is this place?" Shadow asked.

James shrugged, "I'm not sure. We should look through the manuscripts. There may be a map."

They shuffled through the many scrolls. There was a small book that looked slightly more worn than the others. They looked through it. James was stunned. inside were a collection of maps, survey notes, and creature descriptions. James looked at one of the maps. There was Mt. Orncreft. There was the beach where Ark Village was. There was the Frozen Northlands. James showed the map to Rhino and Shadow. They both stared.

"That's this island." James said simply, "This man Nerva has been here on Ark Island before."

There was a brief pause as the weight of the discovery hit the four.

"Are there any other maps?" Shira asked, "Maybe a map with Ark Island and The Center?"

James thumbed through the maps. Many of them were battle maps and surveys of small segments of the Center and Ark Island. Suddenly he saw one with two huge landmasses on them.

"I think this is it," James said.

He took out the map and unfolded it. It indeed was a map of Ark Island and The Center, separated by a huge sea. There were names of tribes that had been crossed out of the map of Ark Island. Blackthumbs, Howling Wolves, Painted Sharks. They were all tribes living on Ark Island, but Nerva had wiped them out. James noticed several smaller islands within the space between The Center and Ark Island. There was The Isle of Souls, Ghost Island, and Ashen Archipelago.

Rhino looked the map over himself, "We've never gone that far out James," he said, "None of us…I wish I knew who this man Nerva was."

James didn't reply.

Shira looked at James, "What are we going to do about this?" she asked, "Are we going to try and find The Center?"

James shook his head, "I don't know. This just…This opens up a whole new world."

Shadow put his hand on the table and sighed, "Look, I suggest we talk this over with ourselves and think it over. This is going to be an expedition to a completely new part of the world. We need to know what we're getting into. I say we think about it before deciding anything."

James, Rhino and Shira nodded.

"Let's try to come to decision by tomorrow night…"

Shira and James were in their home, looking over more of Nerva's notes. Shira wasn't sure what to make of the man.

"It seems like Nerva conquered nearly all of Ark Island," Shira said, "he just destroyed everyone in his path. Rejected peace treaties, sieges…"

"Does he mention any other names?" James asked.

Shira nodded, "Yes. A man named Rockwell and a woman he calls the Beast Queen. Rockwell seemed like a kind of scientific mind without any tribal affiliations. This Beast Queen though…Here, I'll read it."

Shira picked up one of the scrolls and began reading,

 _"If the Sharks are at home in the ocean, then I will pull our coastal forces back and attack their outposts on the mainland. Once their island fortress is cut off from support and supplies, I can whittle it down to rubble at my leisure. The incident with the convoy was no fluke. The rider has returned, and this time we had plenty of warning. Reports of some "Beast Queen" joining forces with the Sharks reached my ears days before the siege. Her ranks have swelled since the convoy but there is no doubt it is her. Not only did she help break the siege, but for the first time in its existence, the New Legion is in full retreat. This cannot continue. I will not allow it. I will conquer the Sharks, as I will conquer the entire ARK, but first I must destroy this so called queen."_

Shira looked up at James.

"What happened?" James asked.

"Well the next scroll is rather long but the gist of it is that Nerva set up a distraction that ended up catching the Sharks off guard. He ended up defeating them. The Beast Queen escaped but came back with an even bigger force. There's a creature Nerva says the Beast Queen had that killed everything, friend and foe alike. I think it must've been a Giganotosaurus that they couldn't tame…"

James nodded. Giganotosaurus was the largest and most dangerous dinosaur on the island, but they were able to tame one, named Hercules, that wandered a massive area around Ark Village. Though tamed, it still struck fear into everyone's hearts.

"Did the Beast Queen lose?"

Shira nodded, "Nerva says that the Giganotosaurus only made the slaughter more complete. The next scrolls are pretty vague. He mentions battling these…beasts…that came forth after activating the obelisks in the sky…he says that they killed nearly all of his dinosaurs and men and that he alone had survived. The last scroll is just a rant. He says here…He says here that he had bled for it all, been appointed by Mars and Janus and he had been tricked by some divine joke…It was all for nothing he keeps saying. He says he moved his forces off the island to chase the Beast Queen and that he would set up his camp at the island known as The Center to capture and destroy the Beast Queen and all her forces."

Shira looked at James, who looked just as confused as he was.

"Does he mention the name of the Beast Queen?"

Shira shook her head, "No. He probably didn't know."

James leaned back in his chair and sighed, "Well at least we know why the Rockarts are the only tribe here on the island. They may have gone unnoticed by Nerva during his raids…I mean, there isn't much we can do with the scrolls but the maps. The Center…I wonder if Nerva is still alive?"

Shira shrugged, "I don't know. How did his journals even get here? Why would Hijikata have them or want them? Maybe he stole them? He may have even met Nerva for all we know after he fell out of favor with Apollo."

James had no better theory. They began looking over the maps, carefully making sure the maps matched with their maps of the island. They matched perfectly.

Shira looked at James, who looked back. "What do you think we should do?"

James sighed, "I think we should look into this. Shira this could be the biggest discovery of our lives. There are other people out there! We aren't alone after all!"

Shira had mixed emotions in her face. "What about the village?" she said.

James thought for a moment, "I'm not going to leave the village alone. Even if Rhino and Shadow join us we can appoint village leaders during our absence. What about David and Brian? They're both more than capable of leading the tribe. I've left them in regency positions during my absences in the past."

Shira looked back at James. "Are you sure about this?"

James reached across the table and held his wife's hands, "I won't embark if you don't want to go. But Shira this could be the beginning of a new age of discovery."

Shira looked back at James, "I do want to go, and our villages are more than capable of maintaining themselves that's not what I'm worried about…It's just that…It's all unknowns. But…I say we do it. You're right. This could be the beginning of a new discovery. This may answer the questions we have about this place." James smiled, "I'll give Rhino and Shadow our answers in the morning."

James thought long and hard about the Ark. He did have questions about this place. What were the obelisks? How did Nerva conquer the whole island and they knew nothing. What did Nerva mean when he said that he died for a view, seeing the entire island spread out before him? Where was he? What did he see? Where was The Center, and who was there? Why were there creatures in the Ark that didn't live in earth, and why were their behaviors so much different? Would this journey to The Center reveal the answers or simply raise more questions? He tossed and turned in his bed, wondering where his journey would lead him next.

The next morning the village had gathered in the hall. They were all murmuring, wondering why they had been assembled. James, Shira, Shadow and Rhino all stood there in front of the village. James stepped up to the podium and cleared his throat. He motioned for the crowd to calm down and a palpable hush fell.

"Friends!" James began, "As many of you know we have experienced peace on this island for three years now. That peace isn't about to change, but my wife Shira and I have discovered something in a cave near the Emerald Fields." James held up the scrolls and maps, "These are written accounts by a warrior named Nerva. He was from an ancient empire on earth, where Shira and I are from. He was here on this island fairly recently, and though he is no longer here I am convinced by these documents that he succeeded in possibly wiping out nearly every tribe here on the island excluding the Rockarts. There's a wider story here on the island that the four of us must investigate. Nerva mentions another island known as The Center. Have any of you ever heard of it?"

There were no answers from the crowd.

James nodded, "This island is where Nerva may be now, and there may be answers to the questions I have about this place. The four of us have decided to have these questions answered. We are going to try and find The Center. There may not seem like much at stake, but there's words in these documents that seem to confirm my doubts about this place. It's unnatural qualities. Those of you who wish to join us are welcome but be aware, this journey could be perilous. We have no idea of the dangers that may lie on this island. Any who wish to join raise their hands."

James almost hoped somebody would, but none did. Many looked at each other, seeming to gauge interest, but nobody was willing to part with their families and embark on the journey. James waited a few more moments, but nobody spoke up.

He nodded, "Very well. Stay with your families. I understand. I have appointed David to be regent of Ark Village while we're gone, and Brian shall watch over the village at Lake Lore. I understand this may be hard for some of you to hear, but this could possibly be the biggest discovery of our time, and I intend to uncover the answers I need. We will leave in the morning. I don't know when we shall return."

With that, he stepped off the stage. Shadow stood up, gave general directions and instructions to the villagers at Lake Lore, and the meeting was adjourned.

James gathered supplies for the journey. Ark Village had several ships in a fleet used for different purposes, and they would be taking one, along with various dinosaurs, though nothing much larger than a Carnotaurus. James was in the stables when Shadow came up, riding his Kaprosuchus, Razorback.

"Are you ready for this?" Shadow asked.

James nodded, "Whatever is happening, we need to find out."

Shadow nodded, "I've loaded the boat with months worth of supplies. Will you be ready by morning?"

"Yes, I just need to get the last of the saddle replacements."

Shadow chuckled and dismounted Razorback. "Do you remember the first time you met us?"

James smiled, "Like it was yesterday. Both of you, speaking English in a land filled with dinosaurs...How did you see me?"

"We saw you crash," Shadow replied, "There was this blinding flash, like the sky caught on fire, this strange white dust fell out of heaven and then we saw your aircraft hit the water. It nearly sunk. None of us had ever seen a helicopter, we were terrified. Rhino and I returned there the next day but it had sunk and you were nowhere to be found. We kept near the beaches when we saw you wandering around. And…Here we are."

James nodded, "Well I'm glad it was you and Rhino, Shadow."

He gave Shadow a friendly pat on the shoulder and went back to packing up Shullershy's saddle.

"Do you think it's a far journey?" Shadow asked.

James sighed, "I'm not sure. There were several little islands and inlets between us and The Center island. I think we should try and get to those first. We can resupply and see if there are any other people groups."

People groups.

The thought of different tribes went back to James' mind. Shadow looked at Tyros, who was sleeping in a corner, his huge reptilian mouth sound asleep.

"Nerva killed everything," Shadow said, "I remember you talking about written histories. This island had none but now we have record of a war we never knew about, and it may not have happened that long ago. Nerva sounds even more dangerous than Apollo."

James nodded. Apollo had been a ruthless adversary but he lacked discipline. His men, though dangerous and bloodthirsty, sometimes very rag-tag. Nerva's New Legion sounded like a hyper-disciplined fighting force ready to annihilate everything in their path.

"I'm not sure if he's still alive," James said, "His last note was very cryptic."

Shadow looked towards the ship, "I suppose we'll find out soon."

The next morning found James on the beach, riding Alan, who looked towards the ship dubiously, then back at James, who patted the Raptor's neck.

"It's OK boy," he said, "You're part of a big discovery."

Alan barked and shook his head, the spines on his neck shaking back and forth. Rhino came up riding a Triceratops, and Shadow approached on Razorback. Shira was taking her Carnotaurus, Shullershy. The boat was fully supplied, and they were ready to embark on their journey to The Center. Shira came up beside James.

"Well, this is it." she said.

James looked behind him and saw Ark Village. His home.

"I hope I see it again…" he said looking behind him.

Shira looked behind her as well. "As long as we're together, we're home." she said.

James smiled and looked ahead. Rhino was lowering the gangplank. He sighed. Spurring Alan forward, he entered the boat.


	2. Chapter 2: The Isle of Souls

Chapter Two

The Isle of Souls

The island slowly became smaller and smaller as the boat drifted away. James stared on, with the others beside him. It was his home, slowly becoming a tiny black dot on the horizon, before disappearing completely.

"God knows when I'll see it again," James said.

Soon, it was just them and the waves. James sighed and turned his back to Ark Island.

"Alright," he said, "As long as we don't run in with a Megalodon or a Mosasaurus we should be fine."

He stepped down towards the ship's wheel. They each took shifts steering the ship. It was just the four of them, alone on the open seas. The ship was three levels high. The top deck was open to the ocean. There were tall sails, and it looked like a small pirate ship. James hadn't seen any other ships and he doubted whether they'd meet with any other sailors. A Pteranodon soared overhead. James had taken two Pteranodon onboard the ship as scouting expeditions were almost impossible without a flying mount. James also felt safer in the air, away from the jaws of an angry Tyrannosaurus or Spinosaurus.

The second deck were living quarters for the animals and the four people on board. The animals James and the others had taken were Alan the Raptor, Razorback the Kaprosuchus, Alison the Triceratops, Shullershy the Carnotaurus, and two Pteranodons named Jetstream and Sky-Dancer.

The third deck was below water, and was used for storage of all the supplies. There were plenty of supplies, more than they probably needed, but James figured they should load the ship at full capacity rather than run out of food or water away from land.

The smell of salt permeated the air, and James wondered why he only smelled it so strongly now. The sun beat down, and while it was certainly hot, it wasn't overwhelming, and James didn't need to try and escape from the heat. Taking the wheel, he looked at his compass and Nerva's map. He knew what direction The Center was in based on Nerva's maps, and his own maps, but he wasn't sure how far away it was. Nerva's maps seemed to be very accurate in terms of distances, sizes and directions, which made sense given his militaristic training. His thoughts went in different directions as he turned the wheel towards the West. He saw Rhino walk below deck with several maps held in his hand. He saw Shadow motion for James to come. James nodded, locked the wheel in position, and walked down.

"I'll keep watch up here," Shira said walking towards the ship's wheel.

James walked below and into the cabin. There was a small table and chairs in the middle of the cabin. The rocking of the ship was gentle, and James could hear the dinosaurs making calm noises from the other side of the ship.

"We just need to figure out how far away The Center is." Shadow said.

James pulled out a seat and sat down. Rhino took out some of the maps and unrolled them.

"Alright, here are Nerva's maps…" he then unrolled a second map hand drawn by James and Shadow, "And here is our map."

They compared the two maps. They were nearly identical in every way, from the proportions to the sizes to the shape of the island.

"Well I think we can count on the distances being accurate," James said.

Shadow nodded, "I'd hope so. It wouldn't make sense for the maps to be so accurate about proportion and not distance."

The ship continued to rock back and forth, causing the lamp fuel in one of the lamps to sway back and forth. James took out some small surveying gear used for maps, and after making some mathematical calculations, he figured that The Center was ten days sail away from Ark Island.

"Well at least we know how far it is," Rhino said, "We have more than enough supplies."

James took out Nerva's map. "Alright, there are several small islands between Ark Island and The Center. The closest one is named The Isle of Souls."

Rhino nodded, "Interesting name. Why is it called that?"

"Nerva never mentioned it in his notes, only on this map."

Rhino huffed, "He may have destroyed all the people on the island."

James nodded. He hoped Nerva hadn't wiped out everybody on the island singlehandedly, but he seemed like a savage dictator.

"How many days sail is it from here?" Shadow asked.

"Two days," James replied, "It's a very small island."

Rhino leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh. He smiled and looked back and forth between Shadow and James.

"Come on," he said, "You know you've both missed this…"

James chuckled, "Yes I have my friend," he said, "Yes I have…"

The night settled on the ocean darkly. If not for the few lanterns onboard the ship, all would've been enveloped in blackness. The only way to distinguish the sea from the sky were the tiny flashes of starlight in the night sky, shining like tiny diamonds. James looked up at them, steering the ship. He heard footsteps approaching. It was Shira.

"How far to The Isle of Souls?" she asked.

"We should be there by evening tomorrow." James replied, "Then it's only a week 's sail before we reach The Center."

Shira walked beside James, her black hair matching the inky black ocean and sky. She put her hands on James' shoulder and looked up.

"They're bright tonight." she said simply.

James smiled, "Just bright enough to steer by." he replied, "Hopefully there isn't too much cloud cover tonight."

James could hear the water below, as the ship slowly continued to chop through the water. Shira sighed deeply.

"What's wrong?" James asked.

"Nothing important," Shira replied, "Just my own doubts."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…James I know you've had your own doubts about this place, and I did too but I guess I sort of shoved them aside. Now we know about men from different time periods that have lived in this place. We have written accounts that are on paper that can't be two-thousand years old. There are creatures on this island that never lived on earth. I just wonder what travelling to The Center will reveal."

James didn't reply. He just looked on. Shira was echoing his own doubts.

He sighed, "What are you afraid of?" he asked.

Shira didn't speak at once. "The fact that I have doubts…And that I fear my doubts will only grow stronger. You were able to conquer your fears James, when you battled Apollo three years ago. This island…This place…It's like I've known in the back of my mind that it can't possibly be real but I've just pushed the thoughts aside. I just can't pin the cause of my uneasiness."

James still wasn't sure what to say. There was a brief pause and they continued looking up at the stars.

"At least we know the stars are still there," James said with a chuckle, "We have Roman legionaries, wild extinct dinosaurs inside this boat, and we live in a jungle with fantastic creatures at our beck and call…But at least the stars are still there."

It was smooth sailing for the night, and the following day was just as smooth. James found it odd that there didn't seem to be a single cloud in the sky, but there wasn't. By the time the sun was lowering in the sky, James saw a tiny spot of land in the distance. He grabbed his spyglass and surveyed the area.

"Land ho!" he shouted, "That's the Isle of Souls, right there!"

Rhino, Shadow and Shira came over and looked, each taking a turn with the spyglass.

James shrugged and looked at Shadow, "It doesn't look like a very harsh environment."

Rhino shook his head, "No, it's pretty similar to Ark Island as far as greenery goes…"

The isle was small and shaped like a large horseshoe. It was only a mile or so long and only a quarter mile wide at its widest point. The isle was mainly made up of forest, though the beaches were quite wide and suitable for camping, since the inside of the horseshoe had nearly no waves.

"I say we make camp here for the night…See if there's any freshwater springs."

Shadow nodded, "My thoughts exactly. There may be some new animal species here as well for all we know."

James walked up and took the wheel, steering for the inside of the horseshoe.

They docked the boat close to the shore. The water was shallow enough to wade through, and they unloaded the dinosaurs, who didn't panic at sight of the water. Rhino rode both of the Pteranodons towards the shore and then tied each one up to a tree. Shullershy, Alan, Razorback and Alison each stomped through the water with ease. James led Alan through the water. He didn't need a leash, Alan followed him. The water was warm and calm. Sloshing through the water he looked behind him at Alan, who perked up his reptilian head and barked, as if to signal James he was alright. When they reached the shore, Alan looked around, flexing the claws on his hand and tapping his sickle to claw into the sand. He scanned the area but didn't sense any threats. James patted Alan on the head and looked around. There were a few birds in the trees and James spotted a small flock of Ichthyornis swimming around in the bay catching fish. He didn't see many large dinosaurs, though an island this small wouldn't've been able to support large numbers of dinosaurs.

Shadow looked around next to James, "I don't see anything yet," he said, "We should probably scout out the area first."

James nodded and they walked up towards the forest. He heard something run off but he couldn't tell what it was. He took out a machete on his belt and began to hack into the dense undergrowth. The forest was deep, though the plants were nearly identical to the plants on Ark Island.

"We need to find a source of freshwater," Shadow said, "With all these plants there has to be some nearby."

James continued hacking away, until they came to a worn pathway in the plants that had been carved out by small animals. Most of the time these paths lead to water sources. James and Shadow followed the path for only a few hundred yards before they came to a small flowing spring with pure water gurgling out. James knelt down and tasted it. it was perfectly safe to drink, and was refreshingly cold.

"We just need to get the water skins," James said.

After refilling all the water skins that were empty, they continued setting up camp. James was setting up he and Shira's tent while Shira built a roaring campfire. Shadow and Rhino each had their own tent, though Rhino had decided to stay onboard the ship and keep an eye on it. The sun was nearly set when the camp was completely pitched. The waves gently lapped against the shore without cresting. Firelight flickered on the sandy beach, and it was deeply quiet. The stars were only beginning to peak out into the darkening sky. The sunset was beautiful, with vibrant fiery oranges, royal purples, and deep, navy blues.

James sat down near the fire next to Shira, who smiled brightly and put her arm around him. Rhino had caught some Coelacanth in the ocean and they were cooking the meat on some of the iron pans. James flipped his piece, which was smelling as good as it was looking.

"Well, we have fresh water," James said to Shira, "I'm looking forward to getting back to the journey though, but this place was worth exploring."

"Anything interesting?" Shira asked.

James shook his head, "Not really. The same plants as Ark Island…I only saw a single lone Pachycephalosaurus walking along the beach. Nothing else. The island is pretty small."

Shira nodded. He pushed the fish around in the pan thoughtfully. He looked back at the ship and let out a sigh. Shira let out a long yawn. James looked at her and smiled.

"I'm sorry James," she said chuckling.

James smiled, "I know, I'm exhausted. Once I'm finished eating I'm bedding down for the night."

It wasn't long before James finished eating the Coelacanth meat and setting up his straw mat. Shira came in and laid down beside him. They both laid there on their backs, staring up into the ceiling of the tent, each absorbed in their own thoughts. The island, the Ark, the dinosaurs. New discoveries. Then, they both fell asleep.

Even in his sleep James knew something was wrong. Subconsciously he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. His eyes opened and he heard it. Shira was sitting bolt upright, her eyes wide. It was the most horrifying sound you could imagine. It was a constant, high pitched screaming sound. It wasn't animalistic, but almost human, and it never stopped. They weren't loud or particularly scared sounding, but they were undeniably human sounding screams. Shira looked at James with a terrified face,

"What is that?" she asked sounding petrified with fear.

James wasn't sure what to make of it. There was a lantern inside the tent and James switched it on. He saw shadows dart back and forth like specters that didn't want to be seen. He couldn't quite tell what was out there. The screams still continued, steadily. A cold sweat formed in James' forehead. He heard footsteps here, there, in every direction.

"They're everywhere" Shira said with terror.

James stood up and the screams began to get louder. He switched off the lantern and the screams became quieter again. They still never stopped screaming, not even for breath. Suddenly he heard snapping sounds and more footsteps. Then horrible ear piercing cries. They sounded like ravenous demonic screeches. James flinched. They were dangerously close. James heard more screeches and cries, coupled with the footsteps and the constant low screaming sounds. James grabbed his machete and slowly lowered his hand to pick up the lantern. The creatures outside continued to scream, but the screams were becoming louder and closer. Whatever they were, they were getting bolder. James turned the lantern on. This time, the creatures didn't scatter. James could see their silhouettes in the tent walls. They were slim creatures, though James couldn't quite tell what they were from the front. They were about four feet tall, and James knew they were similar to a Raptor, though smaller and more slender. He could see their clawed hands twitching in the shadow. James and Shira moved to the middle of the tent, away from the creatures.

"What are we going to do?" Shira asked, "We can't escape them…"

James looked at Shira and then at the creatures. He stood as tall as he could and started shouting at the top of his lungs, trying to intimidate the creatures. He shouted for nearly thirty seconds, but the creatures didn't move, or even seem to flinch. When he finished shouting there was dead silence.

The creatures had stopped their constant screaming.

James stood there.

The only thing he could hear was his own breath.

The creatures still stood there, not moving.

Suddenly there was a piercing screech. Then another. Suddenly all the creatures starting screeching deafeningly, sounding like a pack of frenzied monsters. James saw them splay their claws out, and they started moving, circling the tent and coming closer. Suddenly he saw one jump at the tent. Shira yelped in terror.

"Get down!" James said.

James saw the shadow of one of the creature's heads approach the tent, the creature hissing and twitching. It put its head up to the tent and James thrust out his machete and cut it deep in the head. The creature screamed in pain and fell back. The other creatures started screaming and screeching louder than before. James heard Alan and Shullershy roaring in the background, but they were each tied up. James decided to shout for help.

"Rhino! Shadow!"

No answer.

James wondered if the creatures had already killed Shadow.

He held his machete up, prepared. Suddenly he saw one of the creatures look into the tent from the hole James put through it with the machete. The creature was a horrifying looking Theropod dinosaur. It was a small Raptor-like dinosaur, known in the fossil record as Troodon. Its head was flat and long, and its teeth poked out the top and bottom of its mouth, dripping with saliva and a strange yellow colored liquid. Their eyes were gigantic, and bright yellow. They glowed like ghostly lights and they had no pupil, making them look dead and soulless. They had small spines on their heads and below their jaws. The top of their jaw were covered in grooves and their skin was grey with black stripes and flecks. Its bottom jaw was blood red, and so was its belly.

It stared at James and then snarled, exposing its wicked teeth. its snarl sounding like horrid raspy clicks. Suddenly, it thrust its head into the tent and snapped its teeth, snarling and screeching. James stepped backwards away from the creature. Suddenly he felt something behind him. There were two Troodon trying to tear into the tent from the other side. James realized what the Troodon were doing. They were trying to lead him into a trap.

In the fossil record, Troodon were the smartest species of dinosaur, but on the Ark they were far more intelligent, almost as smart as a human.

James looked each direction. Troodon were clawing at the tent from every way, screaming. James saw their frantic shadows. He suddenly noticed one of the Troodon was burying its way through the soil into the door of the tent. James held the machete firmly in hand and waited. The Troodon stuck its head into the tent and stared at James. It screeched. James yelled and slammed his machete into its head, killing it, its last breath fizzling out in popping clicks. More Troodon were everywhere, screaming and starting to tear holes into the tent. James could see their claws reaching for him, their eyes staring, either wide open or half closed, focusing intently on their prey.

Suddenly a Troodon took a flying leap and tore a massive hole into the tent. It stood there, its eyes glowing like a murderous ghoul. It screeched and tried to lunge at James. He swung his machete and it sliced the Troodon in the back. The creature uttered a high pitched howl and jumped out of the tent. James felt something rip into his arm. A Troodon slashed at him with its razor-sharp claws on its hands. James yelled in pain.

Shira clutched her knife and stood up, "James, there's too many. Stand back to back we can ward them off together!"

James looked in front of him. The Troodon were still everywhere. They were slowly tearing the tent to shreds. Rhino had constructed it out of extremely strong cloth, but it could only handle so much abuse at the furious hands of a pack of Troodon. Their claws were razor sharp. More screams and screeches. Another Troodon jumped through the hole in the tent but it didn't stop. It screeched and jumped on top of James. James was knocked to the ground. The Troodon sunk its claws into James' shoulder and snapped at his face. James held it back with his other arm, screaming. Shira yelled and stabbed the Troodon in the eye. The creature screeched and James slashed it with the machete, killing it.

Before he could get up another Troodon exploded into the tent, swooped down towards James, and clamped its jaws around his upper arm. James yelled in pain. It was the arm James was using for his machete. James used his good arm and he grabbed the Troodon by the neck, then frantically jabbed his fingers into its eye with his other arm. It screeched and let go, and Shira was able to pin it down and kill it. James stood up and held his arm, which throbbed. It was starting to turn purple. James realized with horror that the Ark Troodon had a venomous bite. James held his arm, which was dripping blood.

Shira covered her mouth with her hands, "James! No!"

James looked at Shira his face going deathly pale, "You have to get Rhino. He's the only one with antivenom."

Suddenly another Troodon began reaching inside the tent, screeching and snapping with its jaws. James thrust his machete through the hole, warding the Troodon off.

"James! I can't get to him!" Shira shouted.

James started to feel weak in his legs, and his vision blurred and went out of focus. His breath was labored and he tried to shake off the venom, which was beginning to take over. He gripped the machete in his good hand and desperately tried to cling onto consciousness. Shira stabbed another Troodon James didn't see. Another Troodon jumped into the tent but James was able to pin its head down with his boot and kill it with the machete. He could hear his heartbeat thundering in his ears, and with every beat his vision blurred and his head pounded. He grabbed his head as sweat poured down his forehead. He saw another Troodon behind him. He was just able to slice into it before he collapsed onto the ground. He coughed, his heartbeat erratic and violently fast.

Shira screamed in fear and knelt down next to James, trying to revive him, "James! James! Don't leave me! James!"

"Shira…You…Have to…Rhino…" Suddenly everything went black.

Shira looked up. She heard the terrifying screams.

She grabbed James' machete and started yelling, "Shadow! Rhino! Help! Rhino!"

The Troodon continued screeching. There was no sign of Rhino or Shadow. Another Troodon peeked its head inside the tent. It stared at James, then at Shira, its soulless eyes drilling holes into her. It screeched loudly, but Shira swiped at it. The dinosaur dodged and then they seemed to stop their attacks. Shira could hear them darting back and forth outside. Suddenly she heard a loud roar. It wasn't from the Troodon. She could hear random footsteps, and the sounds of Troodon scattering in every direction, making random screams and yelps.

Shira shouted, "Shadow! Rhino! In here!"

Shira heard more loud roars and the deeper screams of a Raptor. Shira knew Rhino and Shadow had arrived. Suddenly there was deep silence, though Shira occasionally heard a Carnotaurus roar or a Troodon screech. Suddenly Shira heard human footsteps come up to the tent.

"Shira! James!"

It was Shadow.

With his rifle in hand Shadow entered the tent.

"Oh Shadow! Thank God!"

Shadow suddenly saw James, who was heaving and sweating uncontrollably. Shadow was sweating as well, though he wasn't bitten.

"I knew there was something off about this island," Shadow said searching his pack.

"Shadow you have to save him!" Shira said sounding frantic.

Shadow nodded, "Don't worry Shira. I came prepared for something like this."

Shadow pulled a small bottle of antivenom out of his pack, "This should do it."

He took off the top of the bottle and poured a small amount into James' mouth. James heaved, gasped for breath for several seconds, and then let out a long breath and his muscles relaxed. He stopped breathing for a few terrifying seconds, but then began to breathe normally again. Shira began to shed tears of relief, and she closed her eyes and held James hand.

Shadow smiled, "He's going to live."

Rhino, Shira and Shadow were all onboard the ship. They had loaded everything back inside, as well as all the dinosaurs. James was resting in the living quarters. He was slowly recovering, though Shadow said he'd be asleep for several more hours. The sun was only beginning to rise, and the Troodon had all but disappeared.

"What happened on your end Shadow?" Shira asked, "You had to have heard all the noise those things were making."

Shadow nodded, "Oh, I heard everything. I was being attacked as well, that's why I couldn't get help as quickly as I hoped. I guess you were making more noise and the Troodon were tearing through your tent faster than they were mine. They must've given up trying with my tent. I was able to slip out and get Rhino and our dinosaurs. Thank God I could. A few more minutes and I'm not sure if James would've made it."

Shadow and Shira were standing on the top deck of the ship as the dawn was beginning to break. The air was fresh and cool, and The Isle of Souls looked hauntingly beautiful spread out in front, the Troodon nowhere to be found. The wind was calm, and it blew Shira's hair aside gently. Shira shuddered and Shadow looked at the ground.

"Is Rhino with him now?" Shira asked.

Shadow nodded.

"Thank you for saving him Shadow. Are the dinosaurs safe?"

Shadow looked perplexed, "That's what confuses me," he said, "They were all bitten multiple times. Shullershy was bitten five times and Alan was bit twice. But they're not weakening at all. I was able to draw venom from a small wound on Alan so I know the Troodon were using venom on them. I guess dinosaurs are immune to the toxins but humans certainly aren't."

There was a brief pause. The sun continued to slowly begin its ascension into the sky. "I'll go see him now," Shira said.

Shadow nodded, "Alright Shira. He's going to be fine."

Shira nodded and she walked down below deck.

James sat up in bed. His head still throbbed and he couldn't feel his arm.

"Are you OK?" Shira asked.

James nodded slowly. "Yeah…I'm…How long have you been here? How long was I asleep?" his voice was groggy and slurred, though you could still understand what he was saying.

"About six hours." she said.

"How did you get here?"

"Shadow and Rhino came." Shira replied quietly.

James slid back down and let out a long sigh. "Thank God you're safe," he said looking into her eyes, "I'm so sorry Shira. I…I tried to hold on…"

Shira put her hand on James' forehead, "It's OK James. It's OK."

James held her hand, looked at her and smiled.

A few hours later and James was back on his feet. The antidote had worked wonders. Fortunately, while Troodon venom attacked with vicious ferocity initially, it wore off fairly quickly. However, since it usually kills before it wears off, the venom still does its job unless its interfered with by an antidote.

James slowly walked to the upper deck and looked out into the isle's depths.

"James, you're up!" It was Rhino.

James and Rhino gave each other a friendly slap on the shoulder, "Good to see you Rhino," James said.

"Good to have you back in the land of the living," Rhino replied with a smile.

"It'll take more than a Troodon bite to keep me down," James said. They saw Shadow walk below deck with his book of dinosaur dossiers.

"I guess Troodon will be entering the book…" James said.

Shira shuddered, "They were horrible creatures."

James shook his head, "And the way they attacked. It was almost like they knew that they would terrify us with how they vocalized and attacked. I never want to see those monsters again…"

Rhino looked towards the island. "Well we can mark this isle down on the 'never return' list." he said.

James looked back at the isle a few more seconds, "How many days until we reach The Center?"

Rhino mulled it over, "A few days? We have the measurements taken down. Maybe less than three if we make good time."

"Well I'm ready to go now, you?"

Rhino huffed, "No problems from me."

With that, they began to leave the Isle of Souls. As they began maneuvering the craft they suddenly saw something abnormal on the beach. James got out his spyglass. Hidden from view before, they were now visible. They were the bleached skeletons of several men, with rusting armor still on their bodies. James lowered the spyglass slowly. "Those were Nerva's men…" he said to himself. Shira looked over at James.

"They must've been killed by the Troodon."

James put the spyglass back and walked away.


	3. Chapter 3: A World of Wonder

Chapter 3

A World of Wonder

They sailed without incident for nearly three days. It wasn't until the end of the third day that James noticed signs of land. They saw a large flock of Ichthyornis flying overhead, a sure sign of land nearby.

"Eyes open for The Center island!" James called out, "Shorebirds overhead!"

Everybody looked up and saw the flock of fish-eaters. They were heading in the same direction as the ship, another good sign.

James walked up to Shadow, who was steering the ship, "It has to be nearby," he said, "You never see Ichthyornis too far away from land."

Shadow nodded, "I know. It'd better be close…"

James looked across the deck. Rhino was using surveying equipment and making notes on the maps and notebooks. He noticed Shira wasn't on the upper deck. He walked towards the staircase and walked down. She wasn't sleeping in her quarters. James walked into the room where the dinosaurs were held. She was sitting on the floor of the ship next to Alan, who was curled up beside her, asleep. Shira was thumbing through Shadow's book of dossiers.

James walked up, "What's wrong?" he asked.

Shira looked up at James and smiled, "Nothing. Just looking through the dossier book. It's still got room in it."

James nodded, "Well hopefully we can add a few more species by the end of the expedition." Shullershy was pacing her pen, making low growling sounds. They both looked her way.

"She's getting restless," Shira said.

James nodded, "I just saw a flock of Ichthyornis flying overhead. We have to be close to land."

Shira nodded, "I hope so, for Shullershy's sake…"

James continued scanning the horizon for land. He wondered when The Center island would show up on the horizon. The water still passed by the ship, which was making excellent time. James calculated their position on the map.

He sighed, "We should've been there by now." he said to himself.

He continued looking, making doubly sure they were on the correct path. They were. He sighed. He rolled up the maps and went below deck. Shira and the others were on the top deck. He took out some of the maps on the shelf next to one of the tables. Looking it over, he took out his measuring instruments.

Suddenly he heard a shout from Shira, "Everyone! Look! Land to the Northwest!"

James jumped up and rushed up the ladder to the top. There was land. It was faint but it was there. James smiled broadly and ran across the deck. There it was. He couldn't quite tell the outline but it looked jagged. It also didn't look like a single island. James pulled out the map of the Center drawn by Nerva. He couldn't quite tell exactly where they were, though James calculated they were arriving somewhere on the far East side of the archipelago on Tropical Island North.

There was a broad swathe of beach in front of them.

James pointed, "Rhino, steer for that beach! We'll land there!"

Rhino steered the ship towards the beach, and they stared into the island. It was fairly small, and the plant life looked foreign to the group, even at a distance. They couldn't see any wildlife, and they wondered what new species awaited them on this strange island.

As they landed on the beach, they took it all in. There were bright, colorful coral growing around the beach, though it was deep enough for the ship to sail through. The water was beautiful, colored turquoise like a Caribbean island. The sand on the beach was white, and there were bright flowers and tall, oddly shaped trees growing past the beach line.

James lowered the gangplank of the ship, "Alright everyone, this is it."

The gangplank hit the sand and James slowly walked down until he reached the sand. He took a tentative step. He was the first Ark Villager to step foot on The Center. He walked towards the island, taking in the sights. A group of Ichthyornis flew past him. The rest of the group, and the dinosaurs all got off the island. Shullershy was the first dinosaur to reach the beach, and she let out a roar of relief to be off the ship. The air had a strangely sweet smell, possibly due to the unique plant life on the island. James and the group each stared in wonder at the distance.

To the North was a hard, craggy looking island, and to the South was another tropical looking island, though it was hard to see from their angle.

Rhino took out the map Nerva had drawn, and he looked to the North, "Over there, that's an island Nerva calls Half-Burn Island. And…Down to the South is Tropical Island South. That's also where Nerva has this label that says Blue Obelisk…"

James looked at Shadow, who seemed incredibly excited.

"What does he mean by Obelisk?" Shadow asked.

Rhino shrugged, "I have no idea. I never heard my old tribe mention anything about them."

James looked up, searching for flying creatures, though he didn't see any. As they walked closer to the grassy area, James noticed strange, glowing green dust with each footstep. it looked like fireflies, though they weren't alive. Shadow knelt down and tried gathering some with his hand.

"It's pollen," he said, "The pollen on this grass glows…"

James hadn't ever heard of such a thing back home. Alan walked up to James and hissed contentedly. James ran his hand down the Raptor's neck.

"We're here, boy." he said.

Shadow looked around, "Alright, we should find an open area and set up camp."

James nodded and they began looking around. The island was fairly flat, and covered with vegetation. The plants weren't packed together like a normal jungle, but spaced out fairly evenly. James figured it was because the dinosaurs on the island kept the plant life in check. They navigated through the forest, looking around for signs of life. The sunlight created patterns on the floor. The sound of exotic birds singing above and the soothing breeze made the place seem incredibly peaceful. James could hardly believe a conquering warlord had ever been here at all.

Soon, they entered a large clearing. James' breath was taken away. The clearing was huge, easily a mile or so wide, and inside were all kinds of herbivorous dinosaurs. James saw a small group of Diplodocus, and a herd of Triceratops and Stegosaurus peacefully grazing and mingling with each other. A small flock of Dimorphodon flew out of the tall grass and into the trees, squawking loudly. The sounds of the creatures' footfalls and their natural sounds weren't loud, and they seemed as if they would've continued as they were for centuries, and they most likely had. James looked at Shira, whose face was covered with awe. Dinosaur herds this size were a rare sight on Ark Island. James saw several Iguanodon, a lone Pachyrhinosaurus, and a few Parasaurolophus.

Alan looked on and shook his head. They began walking into the clearing, each person on his mount. Strangely, the dinosaurs in the clearing didn't seem to take any notice of the carnivores the people were riding. One of the Parasaurolophus, known as one of the most skittish dinosaurs, looked directly at Alan without seeming nervous in the least. James wondered if the wild dinosaurs knew their dinosaurs were tamed.

He noticed even on Ark Island that wild dinosaurs seemed less nervous around tamed dinosaurs, and once dinosaurs were tamed they never attacked any fellow tamed dinosaurs. Even the mighty Tyrannosaurus wouldn't try to attack another tamed Triceratops.

The Diplodocus continued eating the colorful leaves on the tree, their long necks moving from side to side. Their greenish-blue scales shined in the bright sunlight. The Triceratops grunted and continued grazing, mingling with the Stegosaurs like a herd of wildebeest and zebras in the African savannah. One of the Iguanodon, on four legs, walked up to a tree, then suddenly stood up on its hind legs and began picking branches off the tree with one of its forelimbs, before it shook its head and got back on all fours. Shira, riding Shullershy, continued looking.

James rode up to Shadow, who was riding his Kaprosuchus, "Do you see any new species?"

Shadow shook his head, "There has to be. Keep looking."

They continued moving into the clearing, searching for new species. Suddenly, the noticed something odd in the herd of Stegosaurs. Some of them had different colors. James looked over and spurred Alan on, who cautiously walked into the herd. The Stegosaurs and Triceratops nonchalantly moved out of Alan's way. Suddenly James saw the different Stegosaur. In fact, they weren't Stegosaurus at all. There were four of them, and they were near the middle of the herd.

They were a type of Stegosaurid known as Kentrosaurus. They were each bright green, with fuller brown scales in patches. What set them apart from Stegosaurus though were their huge spikes on their tails and shoulders. They had backplates on their back and neck, though they were narrower than Stegosaurus plates, and they were a lighter shade of red, almost pink. They also seemed more aggressive than the Stegosaurus or Triceratops. Anytime another species would come near them, they would grunt and swipe their spiked tails, warding the other dinosaurs off.

James looked at them, not getting too close. He looked at Shadow, "Those are Kentrosaurus!" he said. Shadow took out a sketchbook and quickly drew the creatures.

He looked at Shira, "This place is incredible," she said.

James nodded and looked back at the Kentrosaurus. They began moving off. Rhino smiled and turned his Triceratops around. They looked for an area of the clearing that wasn't taken up by dinosaurs. The sun was still in the middle of the sky, and they had plenty of time to set up camp.

The fire was blazing and most of the dinosaurs in the clearing had either gone into the forest or were beginning to fall asleep in the grass. James and Shira were sitting together with their tent, staring out into the sky. The sounds of dinosaurs calmly calling back and forth made the two feel strangely safe. Shadow had set up his tent, and Rhino was putting his up. They had found plenty of fresh water on the island, and there were also plenty of Mejoberries and Azulberries around the bushes near the border of the clearing. The glowing pollen on the grass looked like fireflies. James saw the distant outline of a Triceratops laying down in the grass.

"This is beautiful," Shira said.

James sighed, "I haven't seen any humans on this isle. This isn't the main landmass but it is beautiful."

They each stared into the stars, which seemed strangely brighter here than back in Ark Island.

"What are they planning for tomorrow?" Shira asked.

"Well I think Rhino is curious about the Obelisk Nerva mentions on Tropical Island South. Frankly I am too. There's three of them on the map. One is red, one is blue and one is green. I have no clue what they look like. I think we're going to Tropical Island South tomorrow to figure out what the Blue Obelisk is."

Shira nodded, "What do you think it is?"

James shrugged, "It could be come Ancient monument built by older tribes…Maybe a burial site where they buried treasure of some kind."

Shira nodded, "I suppose that makes sense, but why were they never mentioned back on Ark Island?"

"I don't know. Maybe there weren't any. Maybe Nerva knows…If he's still alive."

There was a pause as James contemplated. A Diplodocus let out a long call. The light from the campfire flickered on James and Shira's faces. Suddenly they heard a frustrated yell come from Rhino's tent. James and Shira got up to see what was wrong. Rhino was on his knees on the ground. Shaking his thumb, he dropped the hammer he was using to drive his tent stake into the ground.

Dawn came quickly. The night had passed without incident. At least there were no Troodon on this island. James and Shira had woken up, and when they exited their tent, they were instantly struck by the beauty of the sunrise. The sky looked like it had been splashed with vivid colors. Bright, flaming oranges, deep blues and purples, and the black color of night was slowly being pushed back.

Some of the dinosaurs were already starting to wake up. James saw a Diplodocus slowly raise its head, let out a long bellowing call, and get up on its feet. The forest was directly behind them, and slowly, James stood up. Rhino and Shadow were already up as well, and they each started packing up their tents and loading them onto Rhino's Triceratops. Rhino walked up to James, who was holding Nerva's map.

"We should head to the Blue Obelisk today," Rhino said.

James nodded, "Yes. That was my plan. I'm ready now. You?"

Rhino nodded, "We just need to finish repacking everything and then we should go while its still early."

Back on the ship, James looked back at Tropical Island North. The dinosaurs had disappeared beneath the curtain of trees. James walked up to Rhino, who was at the ship's wheel.

"I can see Tropical Island South down there."

Rhino nodded, "I can't see the Obelisk yet…" James put the coordinates down on a piece of paper and looked down.

"We've only travelled less than 100 miles." James said.

"There's hardly been any breeze and we haven't come across any storms."

Rhino shrugged and chuckled, "Well I don't have a benchmark on usual weather conditions like you do James." he said.

James chuckled himself, "You're right…But…Back on Earth or back home or wherever our usual continents lie, oceans are usually filled with currents. There's usually much stronger breezes and islands and landmasses this radically different from each other usually don't lie this close together. It just puzzles me."

Rhino began steering closer to the island, which approached faster than James expected.

"I have a feeling both of us will be experiencing things that are new to us," Rhino said.

James chuckled as the island grew larger in the foreground, "I'll be sure to remind you of that."

They had weighed anchor and taken the dinosaurs off the boat. James and Shadow looked across the horizon as Rhino and Shira loaded the rest of their supplies onto their mounts.

"What do you think the Obelisk will look like?" Shadow asked.

James shrugged, "Well I'm assuming its blue since that's how Nerva mentioned it on the map."

Shira came riding up on Shullershy next to Alan and James. Rhino soon took up the rear with Alison, his Triceratops.

Shira looked at James, "Well, onward."

James nodded and they began making their way towards the middle of the island. As far as topography went, it was very similar, if not identical, to Tropical Island North. There were many exotic trees, the strange glowing pollen, and dozens of colorful flowers decorating the undergrowth. One small difference was that the trees weren't nearly as packed together as they were in Tropical Island North, and even in that island they were fairly spaced out thanks to the many herbivorous dinosaurs.

James wondered what new species awaited them in this new island. They each began their trek, forming a line. With each footfall their dinosaurs took, the glowing pollen would float into their air like fireflies. James and Shira each rode their dinosaurs next to each other. Rhino took up the rear and Shadow was in front, looking at Nerva's map every so often and changing directions as he needed to. Alan looked back and forth. Occasionally a small dinosaur or creature would run out of the undergrowth but there weren't many large dinosaurs.

Shira looked behind her, "I haven't seen any dinosaurs. No humans either. You'd think we would've seen something or somebody by now…"

James sighed, "Maybe…Nerva must've wiped out everyone on these islands…I just wish I knew how many years old those notes and maps are. They can't be ancient, they look nearly new."

Suddenly something jumped in front of the caravan and disappeared back into the forest.

"What was that?" Shira asked.

"It was a Gallimimus," Shadow replied, "We must've spooked it."

The sunlight cast eerie shadows on the forest floor as they advanced. There weren't very many birds in the trees, and James was unsure where the life on this island was.

Suddenly Shadow stopped, "Hey, everybody stop! There's a gorge right in front of me. You can hardly see it until you're right on top of it."

James walked up on Alan, who poked his head down, then turned to look at James, as if asking what to do. Shadow's Kaprosuchus hissed and flicked its tail like a cat. The gorge was nearly thirty feet deep and was a completely vertical cliff.

James looked at Shadow, "What now?"

Shadow sighed, "I have no idea. We're close to the middle of the island, the Obelisk should be close by."

Shadow stared at the map a few seconds longer, as if wondering what to do, "This gorge isn't marked on the map."

James looked to his left, "Let's just go around it. Maybe there's a land-bridge or an opening somewhere."

Shadow shook his head, "Well, I don't have any better ideas. Might as well try it."

They began to walk alongside the gorge, hoping something was on the other side. As they walked, James looked down the gorge. Suddenly he noticed something odd.

He looked at Shira, "Shira, look at the vegetation on the other side of the gorge."

Shira raised an eyebrow then looked back at James, suddenly realizing, "It's thicker on the other side than it is over here."

James nodded and pointed again, "Not just that. Look at how they're placed. it's almost like they were…planted there. Intelligently."

Shira looked back at James and they relayed the discovery to Rhino and Shadow. They each spurred their mounts on a bit harder. Suddenly, they saw a gap in the plant life, and a bright beam of blue light exploded out into the jungle. James stood back, the whites of his eyes widened and gleamed a bright blue. They slowly came around the corner, and what they saw took their breath away.

There was the Obelisk, though it was far from what they expected. It was extremely tall, and very strange looking. At the very least it was the size of an average skyscraper, and it had a bizarre futuristic feel to it. There was a huge diamond shaped blue light beaming from the top of the Obelisk, though that wasn't what was making the light beam shining onto James and the others. There was a massive stream of blue light shooting towards the ground and spreading in all directions. Shooting flashes of electricity raced back and forth, though it made no noise. All that they could hear was a low pitched hum that could barely be heard, but once they noticed they couldn't get it out of their heads.

However, the oddest feature of the Obelisk was that it floated above the ground like some alien spacecraft. Three prongs emerged from the bottom of the craft and directed the light beam down. Weaving through the body of the Obelisk were blue veins that pulsated with light every few seconds. The Obelisk seemed to be split in half down the middle but connected back at the top of the craft which ended in a pointed cone. The core of the craft emanated light. They all stared up at the craft in disbelief. No words were spoken between them. This was technology far, far, far more advanced than they had ever seen.

James slowly led the group towards the Obelisk, wondering who, or what, could've made such a structure. It clearly wasn't natural in the slightest.

Shadow came up beside James, "What…What is this?"

James didn't reply. He stared up at the craft. It floated about one hundred feet off the ground. Shadow suddenly grabbed his sketchbook from his pocket and began sketching the craft hurriedly, jotting down notes. The dinosaurs they were riding made no noise. Alan stared up at the Obelisk, looking just as bewildered and amazed as James. His mouth was closed, and even his breathing seemed respectful and awed. James dismounted Alan, who looked at James nervously.

James turned and smiled at Alan, "It's OK boy," He said.

He turned towards the Obelisk. Shira dismounted Shullershy, and Rhino and Shadow followed suit. They all slowly walked towards the Obelisk.

"Uh, James," Rhino said, "Were there any structures like this back on your home place?"

James shook his head, "No. There were huge buildings, a little shorter than this but they were all planted in the ground like normal buildings. Nothing ever…floated off the ground like this. It's like something from outer space."

The trees around the Obelisk formed a circular stage of sorts, and the ground surrounding the Obelisk was some strange sort of metal James had never seen before. It formed a target shape around the Obelisk, as if this was some sort of temple. There were no signs of life. James wondered what Nerva, a man from the days of Ancient Rome, would've thought of this incredible structure. He probably thought it had been built by the gods.

"What is it for?" Shadow asked almost to himself.

James shook his head, still staring up at the Obelisk, "Nerva never mentioned. He only talked about them a few times and marked them on the maps."

James crossed his arms, "This thing was built for a reason." he said.

Shadow looked up, "Well…If Nerva is still alive maybe he knows…"

James sighed. We need to scour this part of the island. If Nerva was here he must've left behind some clues. Something."

Shira continued looking up. It made her feel terribly uneasy. What was the Obelisk used for?

Forty minutes later, and they left the Obelisk and began their search for clues. Nothing was turning up. The jungle was incredibly thick and most of the wildlife in the region was small and skittish. Gone were the majestic herds of peaceful herbivorous dinosaurs. James looked at his notes, standing beside Alan.

Something was strange about this place. All was not as it seemed. The revelation of the Obelisks was nearly overwhelming to James. Here was a gigantic, unexplained structure built using technology far more advanced than that of earth. He wondered if it was built by alien life, or some hyperintelligent life form yet undiscovered.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by Rhino.

"James! Over here! I think I found something!"

James ran over through the undergrowth, shoving aside vines and branches in his way. Shira and Shadow were already there. James shuddered. it was a skeleton, though it didn't look like it had been there for too long. Bits of flesh were still attached to it. He looked at it. The skeleton was covered by armor. He bent down and touched it. The armor was made of metal, and, to James' disbelief, looked nearly identical to the type of armor worn by Roman foot soldiers.

Shira looked at James. "It must be true." she said, "Nerva must still be alive, or at the very least recently alive."

Suddenly they heard a huge crack, and more cracks, thundering towards them. James whistled and Alan rushed to his side, the spines on the back of his neck bristling. With an explosion of leaves and sticks a huge carnivorous dinosaur burst into view. It was about thirty feet long, with huge, muscular clawed arms and vicious teeth. It had two small horns above its eyes similar to an Allosaurus, and had the head of a Tyrannosaur. However, it was covered head to toe in bristly spines. It was a Yutyrannus, and it had heard Rhino's calls to James. Alan barked at the Yutyrannus, and Shira whistled to Shullershy, who roared and got in front of her. The Yutyrannus growled, saliva dripping down its mouth.

Suddenly, it breathed in long, and let out an ear piercing, shrieking roar that echoed through the undergrowth. It was the most terrifying roar James had ever heard. The spines on Alan's head went flat against his head, and he cowered away in terror. Shullershy even lowered her head and took a few steps back. The Yutyrannus looked at James and took a step forward.

James looked at Rhino, "Get the rifle!" he shouted.

The Yutyrannus looked directly at Rhino, who got to his Triceratops and yanked the rifle free of the saddle. The Yutyrannus roared and charged, Rhino loaded a round into the chamber, shouldered it, and fired. The Yutyrannus screamed and clawed at its shoulder. Rhino loaded another round and fired. This time the bullet hit the dinosaur in the head. The creature let out a yelp, then stumbled backwards and slammed into the ground. Everybody was still tense, but soon they relaxed as the creature stopped moving.

James looked around, "Is everybody OK?" They each nodded. James walked towards the creature.

Shadow came up beside, "What was that?"

James looked at the creature, with its massive clawed arms and razor sharp teeth.

"Yutyrannus," he replied, "I've never seen this species before."

"Possibly only native to The Center?" Shadow asked.

Suddenly they heard more rustling in the bush. Rhino shouldered the rifle and looked forward. Shira got out her weapon, and James held his bow and arrow taught. To James' astonishment, a rank of about twenty soldiers came forward from the high ground above them. They emerged like ghosts out of the forest, each with matching blue armor. They held masterfully crafted bows with arrows knocked in the strings, eyes aimed at James and his friends. Several intense moments passed. James looked back and forth and motioned for each of his friends to lower their weapons. The soldiers didn't lower their weapons, though they opened their second eye and eased up slightly on the pressure of their bowstrings.

James got a look at them. They each looked Asian, and they were wearing armor that looked straight from the Ming Dynasty of Ancient China. He was completely bewildered. Shadow held up his hands and stared at the company, who were composed of both men and women.

"James, who are these people?"

James shook his head, "I don't know. They aren't Nerva's I don't think."

Shira darted her eyes back and forth. There was a mist beginning to form that made the scene even more intense.

James spoke up, "We don't want any trouble! We're trying to find somebody named Beast Queen. Do you know her?" The soldiers looked back and forth at each other.

"Beast Queen?" James repeated, "We need to ask her some questions."

Several of the soldiers whispered to each other. James couldn't hear them. Suddenly one of the soldiers stood up. He was a tall man, with a long moustache and the look of a noble warrior. He spoke in a language James didn't understand, though he could tell it was definitely Oriental.

James shook his head, "I don't understand." He signed that he didn't understand.

The soldier stared at James with narrowed eyes. He then motioned to the company and spoke more words in Chinese. James watched in horror as the company moved towards them. The tall soldier walked over towards James taking long, intimidating strides. His eyes were so narrow and untrusting James had to look away. When they made eye contact again, the soldier pointed at James, and then at the ground. James obeyed and got on his knees. Shira, Rhino and Shadow followed. They were bound with ropes, and their dinosaurs were seized. James gritted his teeth. Were these Nerva's men? They certainly didn't look Roman. Without warning a bag was put over his head, and he could feel himself being lurched up and led forward.

He could hear Shira, "James! James!"

"It's OK Shira!" he said, "Just do as they ask. Everything will be fine."

Though he couldn't see, he could hear the tall soldier move forward, shout a few commands, and then they were led away.


	4. Chapter 4: The Artifact

Chapter 4

The Artifact

Branches and leaves hit their faces as they were led towards some unknown location. It took some time before James could tell they were emerging into a different area. Though his face was covered, James could hear the sound of footsteps, many voices, and even the shouts of commanders. They were being led to the headquarters of whatever faction these soldiers belonged to. Every so often a soldier would nudge them forward, or shout something in Chinese. James was breathing heavily. Were they about to be killed, or taken prisoner? He worried he'd be separated from Shira.

Suddenly he felt he was being thrust into something. He felt some sort of cloth pass his head, and the sounds of outside became more muffled. The soldier behind him took out the back of his knee and he fell face down to the ground, as if paying homage. The bag was taken off his head, and James saw the floor. He was inside a tent, and he could see the flicker of torchlight in front of him. Shira was right beside him, looking up. James followed her glance. He was struck dumb. There, in front of him, was a woman.

She was unlike any woman James had ever seen. She was remarkably tall, and incredibly graceful, with a posture so perfect she seemed to glide with every step. At only twenty-seven years old, she certainly wasn't aged. She was strikingly beautiful, and there was not a blemish on her face. Her cheeks were painted, as were her eyes and lips. Her hair was jet black and pulled up in a Chinese style bun on the top of her head. Her hands and arms were slender, but strong, and she was wearing a grey dress with strange blue ribbed armor on top. Her eyes were narrow and terrifying. There was a wooden throne in front of them, with two torches beside. Two guards with spears stood beside the torches, their faces covered.

She strode towards James and motioned for him to rise. James did so. She looked him over, studying him. James felt immensely uncomfortable. Shira, Shadow and Rhino looked on with wide eyes. The woman spoke something in Chinese. Her voice was still, and quiet, but supremely authoritative. Though James couldn't understand, he felt like he had just heard a command he must obey. The woman looked slightly confused.

James shook his head, "I don't understand."

The woman looked more confused still. She pointed at James, then mouthed words and shook her head.

James nodded, "I do not speak your language." he said.

The woman narrowed her eyes and cocked her head. She spoke something else.

James shook his head again, "I must find Beast Queen." he said grasping at straws, "Beast Queen. I must ask questions."

The woman's eyes relaxed and it looked like she understood somehow. She pointed at herself. James was stunned.

He pointed, "Beast Queen?"

The woman nodded. James was shocked.

"You…You understand me? You are the Beast Queen?"

The Beast Queen nodded.

"Do you speak my language?" he asked.

The Beast Queen shook her head and spoke in Chinese. James was puzzled. The Beast Queen was about to speak again when she stopped herself. James looked at her then at the others. Shira looked less panicked but still uneasy. The Beast Queen took James forearm and looked at his wrist. Her brow furrowed. She lowered his arm. James was even more puzzled. The Beast Queen raised her arm and lowered the sleeve of her dress, revealing a strange device attached to her wrist. It was diamond shaped, and it glowed red. It wasn't large, and it was flush with her skin but it startled James. The Beast Queen pointed at it, then at James' wrist.

James shook his head, "No. I don't know what that is."

The Beast Queen nodded and looked him over again. She motioned with her hand to follow her. James started following her, but looked back at Shira.

"Your highness," James said lowering his head, "If I may be so bold, my wife, and my friends. Are they permitted to follow?"

The Beast Queen shook her head and frowned. James nodded. He looked at Shira worriedly, then he sighed and smiled.

"I'll be back." he said, "I trust these people."

The Beast Queen looked at James quizzically.

James looked back at her, "Where do you want me to go?"

The Beast Queen beckoned out of her tent and James followed. Now James was able to see the entire encampment. They were still in the jungle, though most of the thick underbrush was gone. Tents were scattered around in a disorganized fashion, and troops went to and fro. Most were wearing the blue colored ribbed armor and carrying bows and arrows. They bowed reverently every time the Beast Queen approached. She put her hand on their heads as she passed.

James was still in silent awe of the entire place. These people were obviously from Ancient China. From their gear to their armor to their language. James still wasn't sure what to think of all of this. They were walking on one of a network of dirt paths, all snaking their way through the underbrush like brown rivers with no destination. Fires burned in random areas of the camp. Soldiers could be seen hanging their gear near the flames, roasting meat, and tending to their weapons. James also saw many Raptors chained to hitching posts, and even a few Tyrannosaurs. Clearly the Beast Queen earned her reputation well. Many of the stables he saw looked mobile, as if they could be packed up and taken at a moment's notice.

"Your highness," James said feeling like he was overstepping his bounds by simply speaking, "our mounts? Are they safe?"

The Beast Queen nodded without looking back. James didn't say anything else. The mysteriousness of this woman only deepened as James was led further towards the edge of camp. He felt slightly uneasy as they progressed further and further away. The vegetation thickened. The tents thinned. He didn't dare say anything else however. Soon they came to a single tent at the edge of the encampment. It was very small, but there were myriads of artifacts, bones, and other natural paraphernalia littered about in organized heaps. Hitched to a small tree was a Raptor. It was brown, with flaming red spines on its neck and tail. James almost felt as if some sort of witch doctor abided there. He couldn't remember if the Ancient Chinese used witch doctors.

The Beast Queen halted near the door and called out a word James recognized, "Helena!"

A few seconds passed. James waited. In another second a woman emerged from the tent. James was struck once again. This woman was covered head to foot in dinosaur manure. Her clothes were soiled, her face was smeared and her hair was a mess. However, she smiled at the Beast Queen's approach. When she saw James, she looked startled, and she quickly cleaned herself off.

"Oy! I didn't expect to be seeing a new face or I would've cleaned myself up."

James let out a sigh of relief, "You speak English?"

The woman looked puzzled, "Why…Yes…Why do you…" she trailed off.

She shook her confused look off and walked towards James.

"Anyway, I should introduce myself, my name is Helena Walker."

She extended her manure covered hand, but quickly retracted it, "Oh, er, sorry. Probably don't want to be shaking that now."

James smiled. Helena seemed cheerful and kind, and her cheerfulness rubbed off a bit on James, who was thankful somebody could relieve the tension. Though her face was dirty, it was quite beautiful. Her eyes were big, and a shade of emerald green, and her hair was brown and short. She had an undeniable Australian accent, and she wore hide boots and cloth pants and shirt with a hide vest.

"My name is James Castor," James said, "I was um…taken…by The Beast Queen."

Helena looked at the Beast Queen, "Who are they, Mei-Yin?"

James cocked his head, "Mei-Yin?"

Helena nodded, "Yes, that's her name. Hasn't she told you?"

James shook his head, "I don't know, I can't speak her language."

Helena looked confused and she looked back at Mei-Yin, who looked at James' arm.

Helena walked forward, her brows furrowed, "Show me your wrist."

James showed her. Helena looked shocked. "You…You don't have an implant?"

James shook his head, "No. What is it?"

Helena showed James hers. It looked like Mei-Yin's. It was green, diamond shaped, and it was flush to her skin.

"Nearly every person we've ever encountered her has one of these," she said, "It was…given to us by somebody. Or something, I still don't know what."

James was confused, "What do you mean?"

Helena sighed, "There's much to discuss," she said, "But for now we need to give you an implant. It's how we're able to communicate."

Mei-Yin spoke something in Chinese to Helena. "Yes, I know." Helena replied in English, "I'm sure he has plenty for us as well."

Helena took James into her tent. It was crowded and filled with specimens.

"You're quite the naturalist," James said.

Helena smiled, "That's exactly what I am…At least that's what I was before I came here…Here, sit down, you too Mei-Yin. I'm going to see if I have a spare implant."

Helena began rooting around the corners of her home.

"I have three others in my group," James said. They don't have implants either."

Helena looked back, "Three others?" she said sounding incredulous, "And none of them have implants… Unbelievable…"

James took a seat, and Mei-Yin sat across from him. James noticed how relaxed she seemed now. Much of her stoicism from before seemed to leave. She didn't sit bolt upright with her hands on her lap as James expected. Her elbows were on the table and she seemed calm. She smiled at James, who looked back at her.

"Why are you helping me?" James asked.

Mei-Yin looked back at Helena, spoke in Chinese, and Helena nodded.

"She says that she knows you're not with the enemy, and we need all the help we can get."

James was confused, "How do you know?" Mei-Yin pointed at James' wrist.

James nodded, "I know about this…enemy…" he said.

Mei-Yin narrowed her eyes, and Helena looked back at him.

James sighed, "I found…letters…maps….all written by a man named Nerva."

Mei-Yin sat straighter and Helena looked frozen, not with fear, but surprise.

"How do you know of Nerva? How did you find the maps?" Helena asked.

James sighed, "I can tell you, but if the implants can help me speak freely with her highness I would be grateful to have one on."

Helena nodded. After a few more minutes of looking Helena had found an implant.

She looked at James, "This belonged to a villager that died. I've only met one other person here on the Ark without an implant. When I put the bottom of the implant to his wrist, it bonded and fused to his skin. It was just like he'd had one on since the start. It isn't comfortable at first, there'll be a bit of pain but it passes quickly."

"Do it. I can handle it."

Helena nodded and slowly put the implant to James' wrist. As soon as it made contact it flashed purple and James winced as a sharp pain seared up his arm. It was gone in a flash. He looked down. The implant had bonded to his wrist.

"Now can you understand me?"

James looked. It was Mei-Yin. The strange part was that while James heard her in English, her lips didn't match what she was saying, as if she was really speaking Chinese but James perceived it as English.

James breathed quickly, "My friends," he said, "We have many questions. We're willing to help you, but there are things we must know. Suspicions we need to confirm. If I may have her highnesses permission."

Mei-Yin waved her hand, "It's alright James," she said, "They may call me the Beast Queen but I'm little more than a mercenary. You may call me Mei-Yin and leave off the your highness title."

James nodded, "Thank you."

"I will go back to your friends. If what you say is true about Nerva's letters, I will hear your questions. Then, I wish you to hand over the letters, maps and documents for my army to use. We would also wish that you remain with us for a brief period. Afterwards you may return to your homeland."

James nodded, "I accept."

"Good. Now we may go back and I will release your friends." She looked at Helena, "Would you like to come, Helena?"

She nodded, "Of course. I need somebody else aside from Rockwell to listen to me for a change."

The six people were gathered around a long table. Mei-Yin sat at the front, and Helena sat next to her. James and Shira sat beside each other and Shadow and Rhino sat looking at each of the two women. Helena had given Shira, Rhino and Shadow their own implants. Mei-Yin and Helena were looking through the letters and maps.

"Strewth!" Helena exclaimed, "There's battle plans, troop movements, letters…Most of it is outdated but there's some new information here. This may be what we need to stop that madman once and for all."

Rhino looked at Mei-Yin, "We must ask, who is Nerva? We know he's a Roman general but what does he want? Power? Money?"

"Power." Mei-Yin replied simply, "He wants to rule the Ark all for himself."

James suddenly noticed Mei-Yin called it an Ark. "You call this place an Ark?" he asked, "We named it that."

Helena looked confused, then she shook her head, "Another one of this island's mysteries. The name just came into my head," she said.

"As it did mine," Mei-Yin replied.

Rhino continued, "So, what is he like?"

Helena sounded angry, "He's a madman," she said, "He was cordial enough at first, but I could tell that once we rejected his rule he'd be far more ruthless. He was. Men, women, children. He kills all. He's already wiped out several tribes. The tribes here in this camp are all that remains of The Center island chain. We've been fighting him with guerilla tactics. We haven't made much progress, but neither has he. It's been a stalemate for weeks. He believes he is Jupiter's gift to the island or some rubbish like that."

"He and his New Legion are camped out several miles from here," Mei-Yin said, "We have troops in the forest between us. That's how we were able to find you. You had a woman in your company. That's how I knew you weren't with Nerva."

Shira spoke, "What about you two?" she asked, "How did you come to the Ark?"

Helena sighed, "Mei-Yin? You tell them."

Mei-Yin nodded and began, "I don't remember how I came here. I just know that one day I woke up here, laying on the beach. No memory of before. All I can recollect was I was a warrior in the service of the Emperor. I was doing battle with the Mongols who had been encroaching on our borders. I know my father had wanted a son, but he had me. I remember he trained me in secret and that I went into battle under cover. That's all. I was alone for a long time until I was able to unify a few of the squabbling tribes around the area. I learned the island's secrets. I tamed many of the beasts including the great Demon King. Nerva and his New Legion wanted to take over my tribe. I stopped them for the most part, but not without heavy losses. There were many battles. I had to retreat off the first island to this island chain. That is my story. Now we wage a silent war against Nerva."

Shira and the others nodded. All eyes turned to Helena, who nodded and let out a sigh.

"Well…I too simply woke up here. I was a naturalist back on earth, but when I discovered long extinct creatures on this island…Well…I was in disbelief. I spent every waking moment I could studying every aspect of the island, its creatures, its climate, its ecosystems…and Its secrets. There's much to this island I don't understand still…Anyway, I met up with a British professor from Cambrige named Sir Edmund Rockwell. He lives well away from camp. Quite the ego, but he's a good man. He and I talked and shared notes. I learned how to tame dinosaurs, and soon I met with Mei-Yin."

Helena chuckled, "I made quite the impression didn't I," She said looking at Mei-Yin, who smiled.

"That you did. When she came, she asked to see the Raptor's manure so she could study their diet. I wasn't sure what to make of her at first. But, she and I got along and became friends before too long. Helena has helped me through many rough patches. Just somebody to talk to. I don't have to act like the Beast Queen around her."

James nodded and Helena continued, "I wasn't as involved with the war against Nerva at first, but I was in a few fights. I'm not sure whether Nerva even knows of my existence or not. That's the end of my story. I've stayed here with Mei-Yin since then."

There was a pause.

"Any other questions?" Helena asked.

"You mentioned some of the island's secrets," James said, "I've had many suspicions about this place. I don't think we're on earth. After seeing the Obelisk in the sky and just the bizarre creature behaviors I've just wondered…"

Helena smiled, "You're not wrong. I believe this entire island is…artificial. Curated like a zoo."

James narrowed his eyes, "How?"

Helena began to explain, "Think about it, the predator to prey ratio on these islands leans far more towards predators. Why don't tamed animals fight each other? Why do many species live in habitats that were different from their earth habitats? Why are there some creatures that live here on the Ark but not on earth? Oh, and the Megalodons, don't even get me started on them. They reproduce forty times faster than great whites, they can be tamed as easy as you please. A bit of training and they're more loyal than the family dog. They're fish. They shouldn't be loyal at all. With all the humans and predators on the island the food chain should've collapsed by now. I even saw a Tyrannosaurus frolicking in the snowy northern region of the island before. None of it makes sense. The implants, the Obelisks... All is not as it seems."

James processed the information. Indeed, he had thought of many of those points himself. He looked over at Shira, who looked back at James, knowingly. Mei-Yin said nothing, just continued studying James and the others.

James tapped his fingers on the table, "Well we've heard your stories, would you like to hear ours?"

Helena nodded, "Yes, please."

James nodded, "Well I used to be an explorer back on earth, or wherever earth is now. We explored the Congo with a society I had helped found. I was with several other people, my wife Shira here included. We headed out on a mission by helicopter when we came across a huge storm. We crash landed in the ocean. I was trapped inside but I escaped and fell unconscious on the beach. When I came to I was on the island. I believe you both have been there?"

Mei-Yin and Helena nodded.

"Well my friends and I created a small village, we met with Shadow and Rhino here, and created a smaller village at a large lake near our first village. It was a huge success but we ended up in a war with a tribe called the Dino Raiders, led by a warlord named Apollo."

Mei-Yin narrowed her eyes. "Apollo?" she asked.

James nodded, "Have you heard of him?"

Mei-Yin nodded, "They gave us a bit of trouble before. Nerva tried to recruit them into his New Legion but most of them didn't join. Apollo wanted all power for himself. I don't think they were at their full power then, they were little more than a nuisance."

James recounted the battle for Ark Village, and their recovery of Nerva's letters and maps. When he finished Helena and Mei-Yin sat there in silence.

James broke it, "We're happy to help you in any way," James said, "I need answers about this place. If I can find them here, I will stay."

Shira looked at James, then back at the ground. Helena looked around at the Ark Villagers and tapped her fingers on the table.

"Look, you should get some rest. I have some things I must do tomorrow. I've heard rumors that a cave beneath us is harboring some dark secret. There's a tribe called the Iron Brotherhood, and they've agreed to help us find it. Some artifact. I believe it has something to do with the Obelisks."

James cocked his head. "You can accompany us if you'd like." Helena said.

James nodded, "Yes, I'd appreciate it."

Helena nodded, "Good. We can discuss more in the morning. The sun is setting and you all need to catch up on a few things."

Mei-Yin got up out of her chair and bowed slightly. James got up, bowed himself, and they all left.

They had each been given their own tents, as Mei-Yin was quite well stocked for being in a war. James and Shira had their own tent together. Their mounts were tied up beside them, each sleeping. They were sitting on the floor of the tent, James' hands were folded and he looked deep in thought.

"I was right about this place." James said, "This can't be earth. What Helena said, about these islands being…monitored…like a zoo."

Shira sighed. James got up and circled around. Shira hadn't said much since their meeting with Me-Yin.

"What do you want to find out?" Shira asked.

James shook his head, "I don't know…I want to figure out this island's mysteries. I've never been easy about this place. I mean, I love the life we've built here, but there's always been this nagging feeling in the back of my mind. So many unanswered questions."

Shira sighed, "What about Ark Village?" she asked, "We can't just abandon them."

James shook his head, "I don't intend to. I intend to find the answers to my questions. Once I do, I will return to Ark Village. I just wish I knew how long that would be…"

He sat back down beside Shira. Shira put her arm behind him.

"I'll always be there for you." she said reassuringly, "No matter where this adventure takes us, we will discover the secrets of this place. Together."

James nodded, smiled, and kissed her.

James was awake before the sun was up. The sounds of an army awakening made quite a din. Hammers forging weapons, troops shouting orders, dinosaurs being trained. James laid there, staring at the ceiling. He heard Shira yawn and she stretched out, before opening her eyes and looking up at James, who smiled and sat up.

"Snap to," James said with a chuckle, "I'm surprised you could stay asleep that long."

They each got up and put on their hide overcoats and leather gear. Sticking their heads outside the tent, they squinted their eyes at the sunlight leaking through the trees above.

Shira looked around, "Where were we supposed to meet Helena?"

"Outside her tent." James replied, "Shadow will be there as well. I believe Rhino will be looking over Nerva's letters with Mei-Yin."

A trio of soldiers passed by James and Shira, carrying their bows and arrows. Several fires were glowing hot, with soldiers hammering away at new swords and spearheads. James walked over to Alan, who hissed softly and lowered his head. James put his hand on his scaly muzzle. Alan's throat vibrated as he growled contentedly, almost purring like a cat. Shullershy shook her head and made a deep guttural growl at Shira's approach.

"Good to see you too, girl." Shira said as she mounted the Carnotaurus.

They began walking towards Shadow's tent. Approaching it, they saw Shadow gearing up Razorback. James waved, and Shadow looked their way.

"Ah, the intrepid explorers return." Shadow said.

James dismounted Alan and walked over. Shadow looked back towards Mei-Yin's tent.

"What do you think of everything?" James said.

Shadow shook his head, "Well after all this time we discover that we're not the only people on these islands, there's another warlord on the loose, we have these weird implants in our wrists and there's huge alien towers floating in the sky. All in all, I'm having a hard time taking it in."

James chuckled, "Same here. Are you on your way to Helena's tent?"

Shadow nodded, "Yes. I'd like to know more of this artifact she's going on about. Especially if it has anything to do with those obelisks."

Shadow finished clipping the last of the supplies to Razorback's saddle. "Well, are you ready?"

James nodded. Mounting Alan, he left Raptor tracks in the mud pointing towards Helena's tent.

Helena's tent came into view, and James called out, "Miss Walker! Helena Walker!"

Helena was outside her tent, and her short brown hair covered her right eye as she turned her head towards the group. She smiled widely and waved. She was gearing up her Raptor. They walked up to the tent and dismounted.

Shadow walked up, "Miss Walker," he said extending his hand.

Helena shook it, "No need for that Shadow," she said, "Just call me Helena."

James and Shira walked up.

"James, Shira." Helena said, "Thank you all so much for coming. Come inside, I just need to go over a few things with you all."

She walked inside the tent and the others followed. James marveled as soon as he entered. There were manuscripts, bones, detailed lists, species dossiers and biological items all in a state of organized chaos. There was a wooden table in the middle of the tent, with an unrolled map in the center. It was a detailed map of the cave system they were exploring. Numerous chambers, catacombs and passageways were listed.

Helena pointed at one of the chambers, "Alright. We will be meeting a few members of the Iron Brotherhood. They want to find the artifact just as much as we do. They will be exploring these passageways and we will explore this one."

"Why do they want the artifact?" James asked.

"They want to find out as much as they can about the Obelisks. I'm not sure what the artifacts will do, but my friend Sir Edmund Rockwell has already found one. My theory is that the artifacts do…something to the Obelisks. I still don't know what it is. The location of any other artifacts is unknown."

"Are the Iron Brotherhood enemies with Nerva?"

Helena nodded, "They aren't exactly allies with us, but yes. They have no fondness for Nerva."

Shadow nodded, "Well, are there any dangers we should be aware of near the caves?"

Helena nodded, "The New Legion never goes near those caves. They smoked out some of our men that were hiding there and they haven't gone back since. Mainly it's because of what's in the caves. Titanoboa, Araneomorphus. They're everywhere."

James nodded and sighed, "Well we've dealt with those before. It'd be a lot easier if we could knock out a Titanoboa with narcotics but they're immune…"

Shadow spoke up, "Why do you feel a reason to go after this artifact?"

Helena sighed, "I fear what might happen if Nerva gets his hands on them. The fact that I don't know what they do makes me even more afraid. And, well, I want to know more about the Obelisks themselves. My good friend Rockwell has been studying them for the past several weeks. He has little interest in the war with Nerva. He seems to view him as an intellectual equal."

James chuckled, "Well I haven't really got any info on Nerva to know what he's like…"

Helena shook her head, "As long as we can keep out of the New Legion's way we should be alright. Now, I don't know exactly where the tunnels lead, but I know that there are three paths. We'll split up and see if we can find the artifact."

They formulated their plans and gathered the last remaining supplies before heading out to meet the Iron Brotherhood.

The mouth of the cave gaped widely, stalactites hanging from the top of the mouth like teeth. James looked in front of him. Shira and Shadow were behind him, taking some of the supplies off their dinosaurs and lighting torches. Helena was on the back of her Raptor, Athena. The Raptor's red neck spines bristled as it shook its head. Shira walked up to James and handed him a torch and his bow and arrows.

"Thank you," James said.

Shira looked behind her at Helena, "How are we supposed to act around this tribe?"

Helena turned around and walked towards them, "Well…They're quite stoic. I'd just say little and be as respectful as you can. I've been to their compound a few days ago. Very serious bunch of people. Their base wasn't in very good repair. "

Shira nodded. James dismounted Alan and walked up to the cave.

Shira came up beside him, "The answers to all our questions might be inside there." James said.

Shira crossed her arms and looked in front of her, her black hair blowing slightly in the breeze. Shadow was drinking out of his water skin and he came up beside James.

"What do you think is in there?" he asked.

James shook his head, "I don't know. I wish I did."

Suddenly Helena called out, "Oy, they're here."

The three looked behind them. There were about ten men, each riding Raptors with grey war paint on. The men had long beards and helmets that covered their faces. They looked fearsome and militaristic, wearing thick, iron armor and carrying sheathed short swords. The first man came up. He had a grizzled beard and he lifted the visor of his helmet. His Raptor shook its head and hissed. Helena bowed slightly.

"Ezra," she said.

"Helena," the man replied with a gravelly voice.

Ezra dismounted and bowed at Helena before looking at James, Shira and Shadow.

"These are my friends," Helena said, "They're here to help us find the artifact."

Ezra looked them over, studying them, before he nodded and looked back at Helena.

"Alright Helena. I've agreed to help, and I will. I don't want that bloodthirsty power-monger to have the artifact, but understand this. If this puts any of my men in danger, I will not help you find any others."

Helena nodded. "I understand."

Ezra lifted his hand towards the mouth of the cave. The Iron Brotherhood walked up on their Raptors. Helena gave directions to the men. They each tied a long rope loop to a tree outside to keep track of their path and then they entered the cave. Five of the Iron Brotherhood went left, Ezra and four others went right, and Helena, Shira, James and Shadow went in the middle. They each had their dinosaurs, and the ceiling of the cave was over thirty feet high, plenty of room for Shira's Carnotaurus. They hadn't seen any sign of Titanoboa yet.

"What will the artifact look like?" James asked.

Helena kept looking ahead, holding her torch aloft, "Well…To be honest I don't exactly know. All I know is that you'll know it when you see it. If it's even in this cave that is."

The cave resonated with the sound of the dinosaurs footsteps, melded with the rhythmic sound of water dripping to the floor. Alan looked to his left and right, the flickering torchlight making his eyes shine green.

"Still no signs of life," Shadow said, "Just a single tunnel. They're haven't even been any branching paths."

James narrowed his eyes as he suddenly realized that fact.

"You're right Shadow," he said, "This is a single tunnel…Like a bore hole or something."

Helena looked behind her, "What are you implying?"

James' eyes were still narrowed, "I don't know it's just…odd."

The tunnel began to slowly turn downwards, though not steeply. James sighed, and the echo of his sigh resonated through the cave walls.

"James?" Shadow said, "Doesn't this remind you of something?" he asked.

"What?"

"How this cave is constructed."

James thought back.

"You mean the cave with that huge spider exoskeleton?"

Shadow nodded, "Yes. There weren't any branching paths there either…It was just a straight tunnel."

"Look, ahead!" It was Helena. They each sped up their mounts. It wasn't long before they emerged into a massive, open chamber. It was nearly completely open, with not a single stalagmite on the bottom. It looked like it had almost been carved out by some intelligent life form.

"Hello there!" somebody called.

James looked to his right. There was Ezra. To his left came the other five members of the Iron Brotherhood. They each met each other in the middle.

Helena walked up to Ezra, "The artifact is most likely in this room," she said.

Ezra nodded, "We can each take a part of the room. We saw a single Titanoboa on our way to the chamber but we were able to kill it before it attacked anything."

James felt uneasy about the entire situation. The whole cave was deadly silent, though the echoes of their own voices made a bit of noise, there were no water droplets, and there was a hollow sounding draft from an unknown source in the chamber.

"Alright," James said, "If we split up we can cover more ground. Helena, where should we go?"

Helena looked around, "Ezra can take the right, The other Iron Brotherhood members can go to the left. James, Shira, you go down the middle, and Shadow, you come with me. We can explore the back of the chamber here."

With that, they each began exploring. James and Shira looked behind as Helena and Shadow each combed their area.

"Well she certainly knows how to take charge," Shira said.

James chuckled, "That she does. Very strange. She seems like she's from modern times. We know she's Australian and she mentioned a few inventions only modern people would know about, jet planes, DNA and the like."

"I like her," Shira said.

"I'm still not sure what to make of her," James replied, "I'd like to know more about her backstory…"

James looked around. There was a small pile of rocks in front of them. The floor of the cave sloped up slightly in front of them. Alan shook his head as he walked forward, the sounds of his claws tapping on the stony ground echoed through the air. Ezra was looking into a stony pool several hundred feet away. James looked around. Alan continued stalking forward, his head looking back and forth inquisitively.

"What about Mei-Yin?" Shira asked.

James shook his head, "She's even more mysterious," he said, "Some Chinese warrior princess… She's quite stiff, but I don't think she's unfriendly. She's been quite gracious to us."

Shira nodded, "I think Helena will fill in the gaps in her story… Mei-Yin may be different."

Suddenly James noticed something strange. There was a gap in the cave wall that had been hidden from view until now.

Shira saw it, "Let's see if anything is in there."

James clicked and Alan began walking towards the crevice. It was barely wide enough for their mounts to fit through.

"A tight squeeze but we can make it," James said.

Alan looked apprehensive, but James reassured him. They slowly walked into the crevice. Shira nearly hit her head on the ceiling riding Shullershy. They came to a bend in the cave when they saw something. There was a soft blue glow coming from a small room at the end of the crevice. James and Shira emerged slowly when they saw something that took their breath away. There, suspended in midair, was an artifact.

It was unlike anything James had ever seen. It was about a foot high, and was shaped like a stretched out diamond. It glowed a soft blue. What was strange was the room around it. The artifact floated in between to pillars, one coming down from the ceiling and one coming up from the floor. The room didn't seem to be made of stone, but some otherworldly metal, that had strange patches of glowing blue material that rippled like water when James stepped on it, yet was completely solid. The pillar seemed to grow right out of the cave itself, though James could tell this room definitely wasn't natural.

He looked at Shira, whose eyes were wide. James dismounted Alan, his face reflecting the soft blue color the artifact was emitting. He walked up to the artifact. There was strange text floating around the artifact like a sort of barrier. James wasn't able to decipher it, though he hoped his implant would allow him to read it. It may have been that the creator of the artifact didn't want it to be read.

Shira dismounted Shullershy, "James, are you sure about this? What will happen if you touch it. It might harm you, maybe even kill you!"

James shook his head, "Well Helena did mention that her friend Rockwell collected one…It must not have harmed him."

Shira sighed, and they both stared at the artifact. James was hesitant to make a move.

"I'll take it," Shira said tightening her fist.

"No," James said, "Let me do it. In case something does happen."

He looked at his hand. Sweat began to bead on his forehead. He slowly extended his hand and put it through the holographic text. His hand was mere inches away from the strange metallic artifact. With a wince, he reached out and touched the artifact. The word "Devious" flashed across his eyes for a split second, and he saw a blinding flash of blue light. He gasped in shock and then everything returned to normal. Shira was breathing heavily. He realized he had the artifact in his hand.

"The Artifact of the Devious," James said to himself.

"What?" Shira asked.

James blinked and he tried to shake himself into his senses.

"We have the artifact. We should bring it to Helena."

They walked out of the crevice and back into the open chamber.

"Helena!" James called, "We found the artifact!"

He saw Helena ride up on Athena.

"Come on girl!" he heard Helena shout.

Athena began running forward, her red spines perking up when she approached James. Ezra and the other Iron Brotherhood members walked up as well. They each tried to get a close look at the artifact. It was made of a strange metal, and its center still glowed a ghostly blue.

James looked at Helena, "Here, take it," he said, "I don't want to touch it again."

Shira looked at James worriedly. Helena took it, though she didn't receive a shock like James had.

"This looks very different to Rockwell's." Helena said, "His is green and shaped like a pair of cupped hands. He called it the Artifact of the Pack."

James said nothing about the word he had seen. Helena looked at James and Shira with a serious expression.

"Thank you both," she said, "Really. I've been looking for these for so long. If only I had thought of these being in caves before Rockwell. Could've given the man a real run for his money finding these before him."

She smiled and put it in her pack. Suddenly there was a noise. It was a hissing sound. James looked behind him. There was a colossal Titanoboa slithering up to them, followed by three others.

Shadow called out, "TItanoboa! Everybody, stay on guard, there could be more."

Suddenly James heard more hissing, then the horrific sounds of scuttling footfalls. He looked to his right and saw several Araneomorphus rushing for them.

"Everyone on your mounts!" Helena shouted.

James jumped on Alan. The Raptor's claws splayed out and he screeched. Shullershy roared and shook her horned head. Ezra and the Iron Brotherhood members unsheathed their swords. More Titanoboa and Araneomorphus exploded into the chamber. James and Shira were ready. Shullershy stamped her feet into the ground, roared and charged. Alan raced forward and leapt into the air, landing onto a Titanoboa's head. Alan sunk his sickle toe claw into the giant snake's head, killing it. Ezra's Raptor sliced into an Araneomorphus, causing the gigantic spider to shriek and scuttle off into the darkness, leaving a trail of acidic green blood behind. Helena's Raptor was speedy and skilled at combat, killing multiple Titanoboa's in frenzied slicing attacks. Shadow was riding Razorback, and the Kaprosuchus lunged around, though it was vulnerable to attacked by Araneomorphus.

James shot forward, and Alan jumped onto a pile of rocks. James looked and saw three Araneomorphus all coming for him, their huge soulless eyes and hideous fangs bared. Alan leapt and landed squarely on one of the spiders. One of the Araneomorphus attacked from behind, while the other was attacking from the front. James grabbed his bow and put an arrow to the string. Alan began to lunge forward, and James pulled the string back. The spider was so close James could see the cracks in its monstrous exoskeleton. He let the arrow fly and it struck the Araneomorphus in its brain, killing it. Alan slashed frantically at the spider, and James looked to his right.

He saw Shira. Shullershy was pinned to the ground by two Titanoboa. Shira was on the ground, hacking at one of the giant snakes with her machete.

James wheeled Alan around, "Come on boy!" he shouted.

Alan screeched. Hunched over like a jockey, James raced over to rescue Shira and Shullershy. He looked beside him and saw Helena riding Athena, she looked at him and nodded.

"Jump!" James shouted.

"Jump!" Helena shouted.

Athena and Alan lunged at the same time, each one going for one of the Titanoboa. They struck with such force the giant snakes were knocked off of Shullershy. The Raptor's bit and slashed, tearing chunks of flesh off the slithering reptiles. Shullershy struggled onto her feet.

"Shira! Are you OK?" James shouted.

Shira looked terrified, but she nodded, "Thank you! We need to help Shadow and Ezra!"

Shira threw herself back onto Shullershy. James nodded at Helena, who looked behind her. Shadow and the Iron Brotherhood were being pinned down by Titanoboa and Araneomorphus.

James jabbed the back of his boot into Alan's leg, "Come on boy! Haah!"

The Raptor lunged forward as agile as a cat. Ezra's Raptor had been killed. Several of the Iron Brotherhood had been killed or wounded. Most of the Araneomorphus had been dispatched but there were still seven Titanoboa remaining. Athena killed a Titanoboa before she reached Shadow. James sped ahead of Helena's Raptor, Shira close behind on Shullershy. Alan growled and screeched, his muscles tense. James saw a Titanoboa raise its head behind Shadow's mount. Shadow was busy fending off another Titanoboa.

"Shadow!" James shouted, "Behind you!"

Suddenly James was knocked off Alan. He rolled onto the cave floor. His vision was blurred, though he could see in front of him. He felt his head, blood covered his hand. He struggled to get up. Suddenly he heard a guttural hiss. There was a Titanoboa reared up in front of him. He pulled out his bow and arrows and shot at the Titanoboa. The arrow bounced off the snake's hide. James saw its fangs, as it opened its mouth filled with needle sharp teeth. Its forked tongue stabbed the air. James didn't have a bladed weapon long enough to shank the snake.

"Shira!" James shouted.

James saw Shira look over. Shullershy snarled and turned violently. Charging forward with a roar, James rolled out of the way, and the Carnotaurus slammed into the Titanoboa. Its head smashed into the cave floor with a thud.

Shira looked at James, "Now we're even." she said.

James looked beside him, Alan was struggling to his feet. His head was lowered. There was a small bloodstain on his body. Alan straightened himself out and flexed his claws, before screeching and going after another Titanoboa. Helena was attacking the last Titanoboa on her side of the cave. Shadow was finishing off another Titanoboa. Only one was left, and it was attacking one of the Iron Brotherhood. Helena rushed over with Athena and killed it.

All the Titanoboa were dead. Two of the Iron Brotherhood had been killed. Alan and James had sustained injuries.

"Are they all gone?" James asked.

Helena nodded, "Yes. They're all dead."

James looked around him. The corpses of the monstrous creatures littered the floor. James looked over at Ezra. He was clutching his sword, looking furiously angry. Helena dismounted Athena and checked her for wounds. She was uninjured. She looked over at Ezra, and the expression on her face was guilt. She slowly began walking over to Ezra, who faced away from her. James, Shira and Shadow watched, the tension incredibly thick. Ezra was leaning over the dead body of one of his tribesman. Helena stood, her arms crossed, a few feet away from the man.

"I'm sorry." she said, "I didn't think there would be anywhere near that many."

Ezra stood up and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, "Apology accepted," Ezra said still sounding quite angry, "But know this Helena Walker, I wash my hands of this artifact business. If all it does is take the lives of my brothers, then I wish you well. I will not help you with finding any more of them. You have saved some of my men today, as we have saved you. If it comes to bearing arms against Nerva I will help, but the artifacts are another matter. What is its purpose even? I see no profit for you or your friends to continue after them."

Helena said nothing, she just stood there.

"We should leave here," she said.

Ezra nodded, "Yes. We should."

Walking back to Mei-Yin's encampment on their mounts, Helena let out a sigh.

Shadow came up beside her, "It wasn't your fault." he said, "You had no choice."

She shook her head, "I put his men in danger."

"Well he agreed to help you knowing the dangers," Shadow pressed.

Helena shook her head again, "Still, it doesn't change anything." she replied.

"What can we do with the artifact?" James asked.

"We're heading to Rockwell's Manor," Helena replied, "If there's anybody that can help it's him."

James nodded, "Is it far?"

"No," Helena replied, "Only an hour or so. The New Legion respect him. They keep out of his way so we shouldn't come across any trouble."

The Raptors slowly made their way down the path towards Rockwell Manor. Helena hadn't said much, though Shadow had started talking to her and she seemed to lighten up a bit.

Shira looked behind her and smiled, "At least Shadow and Helena seem to be getting along well," she said.

James chuckled, "I wonder what this Rockwell fellow is like," James said.

Shira shook her head, "I'm not sure how I feel," Shira replied, "It seems like he's almost friends with Nerva and that worries me a bit."

"We'll find out more when we get there," James said as they continued.

The environment around them was still very tropical, though it wasn't as tightly packed as the foliage around Mei-Yin's encampment. Perandon soared overhead, and they occasionally saw small dinosaurs darting back and forth. A Pegomastax shot out of the undergrowth in front of them and scurried away. Alan barked but didn't try to go for it.

"Rhino should have a lot to tell us when we get back to the encampment," James said.

Shira nodded, "Hopefully it's good news. Maybe he's found out more about Mei-Yin as well."

Suddenly they came to a large bend, and the forest seemed to be nearly completely cleared. When they turned the bend there was a tall hill. The hill was cleared of foliage, and at the top was a large house, shaped like a mansion though smaller. It was made of stone and wood, and it had a tiled roof. There were wooden pillars in front of the doors and stables on either side.

Helena came up, riding Athena, "We're here." she said.

James looked at it. "Rockwell Manor?" he asked.

Helena nodded, "Now, Rockwell can take some getting used to. He's a good man, generous and very helpful, but he is quite full of himself," she smiled, "He's been like a father to me though, I'd trust him with my life."

James nodded, "Looking forward to meeting him," he said.

They walked up the stony path. James felt a strange sense of calm. It looked like a charming place, and it was very well kept. There were matching rows of trees on either side as they continued. Flowers were planted across the front of the manor, and James could hear the soft sounds of dinosaurs in the stables nearby. There was a hitching post in front of the manor door, and they each dismounted and tied their dinosaurs up. Alan and Athena sniffed each other and made gentle noises in their throats. Helena walked up to the door and gave it a hard knock.

"Rockwell! It's me! Helena!"

A few seconds passed. James saw a small flock of Dimorphodon fly overhead, their silhouettes in the bright sunlight. He heard the door open with a creak. James looked and saw a man walk out onto the entryway. He had dark black hair, though it was flecked with streaks of grey. His face was aged, though it looked kind and interested. His eyes were brown, though they had a strange sense of pride about them. He had an immaculate moustache and goatee, and he was wearing dyed cloth that looked right out of Victorian era London. His arms were behind his back, and when he saw Helena he smiled widely,

"Helena, my dear! What an unexpected pleasure!" he said opening his arms for an embrace.

The two embraced each other before Rockwell turned his attention to James, Shadow and Shira.

"And who are these fine people?" Rockwell said.

His voice had a very distinct British accent, and it made him sound quite pompous, though James wondered if that was only to do with his accent.

James introduced himself, "Hello Sir Rockwell, my name is James, and this is my wife, Shira."

Shira nodded and extended her hand to be shook. Instead, Rockwell took her hand and kissed it like a gentleman at Buckingham Palace. Shira blushed slightly.

Rockwell looked back at Helena, "Miss Walker, what brings you here today?"

"Well, do you remember that night we studied that artifact together?"

Rockwell nodded, "Why yes. I believe I have come to a conclusion on its purpose."

Helena nodded, "See, we've found another one."

Rockwell's eyes widened, "I say! Really?"

Helena took the artifact out of her pack.

Rockwell's eyes widened even further, "Oh by Jove!" he exclaimed.

He reached out and took the artifact.

"Why it looks nothing like the Artifact of the Pack!" he said sounding thrilled, "This is extraordinary! You four must join me for tea, really you must!"

James was slightly bewildered by Rockwell's personality.

Rockwell looked at Helena, "Now Miss Walker, you know my policy for accepting strangers into the manor proper, but for you my dear, I shall let these three friends in with a merry heart."

Helena smiled and walked inside. For being on an island, Rockwell had done an incredible job in making his manor as homey as possible. It was decorated perfectly, and there were even carpeted floors. There were pedestals with multiple different trophies on them. Everything was symmetrical, perfectly balanced. James was quite impressed.

"As you can see Rockwell is quite the collector," Helena said.

"Oh yes," Rockwell said sounding pleased with himself, "I have collected many things during my travels here. This island really is extraordinary. I have devoted everything to my studies here. Many of the island's plants hold marvelous experimental qualities. I have tested a few cures on humans here in exchange for food. Some didn't quite work as planned…" he sounded slightly disappointed.

"What kind of tests did you do?" James asked.

"Oh perfectly harmless. I found that many people were skeptical of taking strange sounding potions and what not, so I renamed them after food. I found that Woolly Rhino horns have a strange substance in them, so I drew it out and named it Endothermic Paste. Nobody tried it so I renamed it Fria Curry and people from all over wanted a taste. Simply renaming in the name of progress eh wot? Perfectly moral."

James felt slightly uneasy. "What exactly did the concoction do?" he asked.

"It lowered the metabolism of either a human or their mount, causing them to need less food during a survival situation. Perfectly splendid wouldn't you say?"

James cocked his head, "You mean they didn't _think_ they needed food or they really didn't need it?"

"They really didn't need it," Rockwell said sounding annoyed at James' skepticism, "All nutritional needs were cared for."

They came into another room where James saw it. There was the Artifact of the Pack. There was a table filled with neatly organized relics on its. James looked everything over. Rockwell placed the Artifact of the Devious on the table and got out a pair of spectacles with a magnifier. He put them on and studied the artifact, Helena right beside him.

"Yes, it is the same material as the other artifact," Rockwell said concentrating hard on the object, "I believe it serves the same purpose...However, my artifact is green, and this one is blue."

Helena cocked her head, "What could that mean?" she asked.

Rockwell looked it over, "Well my dear, I haven't been able to go the Blue Obelisk in quite some time due to that horrid Beast Queen running about in that area. It wouldn't do for a scientist like myself to be caught up in some petty squabble."

James looked at Helena quizzically. Helena shook her head, as if to say she hadn't told Rockwell anything about Mei-Yin. James said nothing. Rockwell looked over the entire artifact, when suddenly James thought of something.

"Sir Rockwell," James said.

"Yes James?"

"There are three Obelisks on this island correct?"

Rockwell nodded, "Yes. One if here on Tropical Island South, One is on Lava Island and the third is near Penguin Pond. Close to The Center itself."

"What colors are the Obelisks?"

"Well the one closest to us is blue, the other one is red and the third is…"

He paused.

"It's green. My good fellow! It's green!"

Suddenly Helena understood, "You think the color of the artifact has to do with the Obelisks?"

"My dear Miss Walker it has to!" Rockwell replied, "Why this one here is blue, and the Obelisk closet to us is blue. I discovered the Artifact of the Pack near Penguin Pond. By Jove! We must go to the Blue Obelisk now!"

Rockwell put a hand on James' shoulder, "My good fellow! You surely have the mind of a scientist. I simply cannot believe I hadn't thought of this before, what a fool I am!"

He bean grabbing various supplies around the room, "Come, come, make haste!"

Helena looked at James, and Rockwell flew out of the room.

She shook her head, "For discovery," she said simply, "He gets quite excited about things like this."

She chuckled as they walked towards the front door of the manor. "Seriously though James, that was a great thought. I've wondered if the artifacts are like a sort of key to unlocking the Obelisks. This is our chance to find out!"

The Blue Obelisk floated above them like a towering master. The humming sound intensified as they drew closer. Rockwell, with the artifact in tow, looked around. Shira looked at James and Helena, who were staring at Rockwell, slowly walking towards the Obelisk.

"Be careful Rockwell," Helena said, "I don't know what this will do."

James dismounted and walked up next to Rockwell, who looked up at the Obelisk with a grave expression on his face. Helena walked up as well. Shadow and Shira stayed slightly behind, worried what the artifact could do. The path behind the ring of trees around them seemed longer than before.

Rockwell looked at the artifact again, "I say, this is quite harder than I expected." he said, "I'm not sure what will happen."

James looked it over, "Be careful sir," he said.

They began walking a bit closer when Helena raised her hand, "Rockwell, wait. Let me go in front. I can take a closer look at the pedestal, then you come up with the artifact."

Rockwell nodded, "Yes, quite."

Helena began walking forward, staring up at the Obelisk, feeling like she was invading its space. James came up beside her. Shira still stayed behind, though she walked closer to Rockwell, who looked at James and Helena, then the Obelisk. James scanned the ground in front. The floor beneath the Obelisk was hauntingly similar to the floor of the cave in the artifact room. Made of a strange honeycombed metal with a strange glassy, glowing blue material in the honeycombs. It looked unlike anything James had ever seen.

The beam of blue light coming beneath the Obelisk intensified. They suddenly came right below the craft. James saw a hexagon shaped centerpiece directly below the middle of the Obelisk, right below the light beam. Stepping almost on top of it, suddenly the hexagon opened up.

"Stay back!" James said.

Rising out of the hexagon was a pedestal. it looked like a control panel, though it had strange holographic script on it, and it was made of a strange glowing blue metal. However, on the right side of the pedestal was a hole. James and Helena looked it over. They both gasped and looked at each other.

"It's the shape of the artifact!" James said.

Helena nodded and they both began running back to Rockwell.

"The artifact fits inside the pedestal on the Obelisk!" Helena shouted sounding thrilled.

Rockwell's eyes lit up, and he began walking closer to it. Suddenly They heard several shouts. James looked behind him. There, blocking them off from the path, was a row of soldiers. James felt a knot in his stomach. These weren't the friendly soldiers of Mei-Yin. Their armor was Roman. They had crested helmets, square shields, and sharp metal spears. They advanced slowly, before their ranks opened up, letting a man forward. James stared in terror. There, before him, was Gaius Marcellus Nerva.


End file.
